


To Tempt a Target

by Phlebas



Series: Courting Culture Confusion [5]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alcohol, Am I the first to write this quartet?, Am I the first to write this triad?, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, And not any easier when you kill people for a living, Artificial Insemination, Author Is Sleep Deprived, BAMF Senju Tobirama, BAMF Uchiha Izuna, Baby Wearing, Because Senju Tobirama takes everything seriously, Being a parent can be tricky, Breastfeeding, But also out again, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Child Abuse, Child Soldiers, Come Eating, Come Marking, Come Swallowing, Comeplay, Courting a fourth, Crack Treated Seriously, Cultural Differences, Demisexual Senju Tobirama, Demisexual Uchiha Hikaku, Dirty Talk, Double Anal Penetration, Edging, Edo Period, Enthusiastic Consent, Explicit Consent, F/M, Felching, Fix-It, Food, Foursome - F/M/M/M, Genjutsu, Ghosts, Graphic descriptions of birth, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I guess I am, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Infants, International Fanworks Day 2021, Intracervical insemination, It gets him into trouble, Lactation Kink, M/M, Male Lactation, Marking, Marriage Hunt AU, Masturbation, More romance than comedy, Mostly Straight Senju Touka, Multi, Multiple Orgasms, Multiple Pairings, Multiple Partners, Multiple Relationships, Mutual Pining, NO rape, Newborn Children, Obon, Oral Sex, Orgasm Denial, Paralysis, Past Child Abuse, Pining, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Power Bottom, Power Exchange, Power Play, Pregnancy, Restraints, Rimming, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Seducing a third, Senju Hashirama is a Good Brother, Senju Touka is a Good Sister, Service Top, Sex, Sort Of, Surrogacy, Threesome - M/M/M, To both questions, Toddlers, Trans Character, Uchiha Clan-centric, Uchiha Izuna Lives, Uchiha Izuna is too competitive for anybody’s peace of mind, Warring States Period (Naruto), canon-typical behaviour, ukiyo-e
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:20:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 154
Words: 84,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28283865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phlebas/pseuds/Phlebas
Summary: How to court an Uchiha.(By Uchiha Hikaku.)Completely written and in the process of editing. Final chapter count  is 205. Posts one chapter twice daily.
Relationships: Senju Hashirama/Uzumaki Mito, Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Madara, Senju Touka/Original Male Character(s), Senju Touka/Uchiha Hikaku/Uchiha Izuna/Original Character(s), Senju Touka/Uchiha Hikaku/Uchiha Izuna/Uchiha Seto, Senju Touka/Uchiha Izuna, Senju Touka/Uchiha Seto, Uchiha Hikaku/Original Male Character(s), Uchiha Hikaku/Uchiha Izuna, Uchiha Hikaku/Uchiha Izuna/Original Character(s), Uchiha Hikaku/Uchiha Izuna/Uchiha Seto, Uchiha Hikaku/Uchiha Seto, Uchiha Izuna/Original Male Character(s), Uchiha Izuna/Uchiha Seto, Uchiha Siblings - Relationship
Series: Courting Culture Confusion [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2021387
Comments: 845
Kudos: 62





	1. Author’s Notes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Writingfish (idraax)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/idraax/gifts), [KeanBlade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeanBlade/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Escape and Evade](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27435208) by [Phlebas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phlebas/pseuds/Phlebas). 
  * Inspired by [Tobirama aus: Problematic snippet collection](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18650527) by [Writingfish (idraax)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/idraax/pseuds/Writingfish). 
  * Inspired by [Last of the Summer Roses](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21327550) by [KeanBlade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeanBlade/pseuds/KeanBlade). 
  * Inspired by [Prepare as We Will](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18775825) by [drelfina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/drelfina/pseuds/drelfina). 
  * Inspired by [Ghost Bride](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22375273) by [drelfina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/drelfina/pseuds/drelfina). 
  * Inspired by [Scent and Sensibility](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9078070) by [flailinginlove](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flailinginlove/pseuds/flailinginlove). 
  * Inspired by [Debut](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22099090) by [drelfina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/drelfina/pseuds/drelfina). 
  * Inspired by [You Must Not Fear To Blister](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22054789) by [trulywicked](https://archiveofourown.org/users/trulywicked/pseuds/trulywicked). 



> Thank you Writingfish (idraax) and KeanBlade for creating such wonderful characters. Seto and Kikiyo are a joy and a privilege to write.
> 
> This story is for you both.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings!
> 
> (Please heed them.)

This story is set in the world of _Escape & Evade_, a world in which the village was formed quite differently to cannon.

There are reasons for the differences from cannon in this story and many of them are contained in _The World Building of Courting Culture Confusion_.

The story begins many years before _Escape & Evade_, during the Clan War between the Uchiha and the Senju, and continues on to cover many of the same events as occur in _Escape & Evade_, but from the perspective of Hikaku, Seto, and Izuna.

From chapter 16 onwards, this story will take place concurrently with _Escape & Evade_ and, from chapter 30 onwards, it will become almost impossible to read unless you have already read that.

A note on time - I use the Run as a marker of the end and the beginning of the Uchiha year. It is a time for the old year to close, Prey to become runners, the harvest is in, and all prepare for winter.

Additionally, this being set in the Edo Period, everyone uses the lunisolar calendar. Despite which, I still use the historical anachronism of weeks - both because my modern brain can’t help itself, and I already had them in _Escape and Evade_.

So the daimyo’s court and the Senju start the year with the Lunar New Year and the Uchiha start the year with the Run - their version of the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.

Nobody celebrates a birthday except for children, and everyone just marks their ages up one year at the start of their new year.

If you have any interest in how the lunisolar calendar works, you can check out [this article](https://wiki.samurai-archives.com/index.php?title=Japanese_calendar) about how it used to work in Japan, and [this wonderfully handy website](https://homepages.cwi.nl/~aeb/go/misc/jdate.html) which actually gave me the dates for the start of each month for all the years when I was about to stab myself trying to work it out of my own. I am so grateful for people who put stuff like this up on the internet.

Please note that I am not an expert in this, and I have done my best to work it out correctly, but there are bound to be mistakes. Suspend your disbelief if you find one okay? I’ll take no constructive criticism on this particular topic. I am all tapped out of patience with the calendar system. Talk to be about _anything_ else but that. Anything! Unless you want to express sympathy for a beleaguered writer. That I will happily take. :P

Warnings:

There will scenes of violence typical to cannon.

There will be frank discussions of politics, including some of the more fraught decisions made by all parties, particularly Madara and Tajima.

There will be allusions to sex. A lot of allusions. Also, more than one explicit sex scene - as in, more explicit than _Caught and Captured_. All the sex will be consensual, but a lot of it will have a flavour very similar to BDSM power play. These guys are shinobi and they pin each other a lot. Their public roles play into their sexual dynamics too, both as they're followed and as they're subverted.

There will be a lot of talk about babies, family, lineage, and ancestor worship. Dead family members will also visit in dreams. If you want to know how that works in this AU, you can check out chapter 26 of _The World Building of Courting Culture Confusion_ , _World Building - Why Butsuma is a Cockroach. Forever._

There will be a lot of descriptions of food and alcohol being consumed.

There will also be original characters.

Izuna and Hikaku have very minimal appearances in cannon.

Izuna is - and I say this with love - a plot device for Kishimoto to explain Madara’s choices.

Hikaku is even less than that - he’s a face in the crowd.

Uchiha Seto is an actual OC created by Writingfish (idraax) in their _Tobirama aus: Problematic snippet collection_.

All three are the main characters in this story, and - having no constraints apart from Izuna’s canonical actions and Seto’s background from Writingfish - I’ve taken them in pretty much any direction I please outside of that.

This means that they have entire backstories and world building characterisations that will be rife with original characters.

If OCs are not for you, maybe this isn’t your kind of story.

Finally, Hikaku begins the story when he is 13 and has what can only be described as a crush on Seto. He has romantic feelings, but not truly sexual ones - the idea of having an erection anywhere near Seto is, frankly, horrifying to him. The idea of Seto having an erection at all never even enters his mind.

Seto does not take his attempts at courtship seriously until Hikaku is 16.

They do not become intimate until Hikaku is 18.

Neither of them become intimate with Izuna until Izuna is 19.

All of these are reasons why I am not putting an underage tag on this story.

Because there is no underage sex.

At all. Not even by modern standards.

Remember that, in the world of _Escape & Evade_, Hashirama married Mito at 15. Before the village was formed, shinobi expected to die by the age of 40, or 30 in Kishimoto’s cannon. What ages people expect to achieve milestones has been adjusted accordingly.

Please, read with care for yourself and skip the story if any of this is not for you.


	2. Hanami, Spring - Hikaku (13)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you have a crush.
> 
> (It changes your life.)

Hikaku is so nervous, his palms are actually sweating.

It’s just.

Seto-san is so _competent_.

He’s good at _everything_.

His kenjutsu is a joy to watch, his katon are performed elegantly, and he is always perfectly presented.

And he’s beautiful.

Everyone is always trying to court him, and he’s always turning them away so graciously that no one ever feels offended.

After all of that, what does Hikaku have to offer?

He’s good at combat and his tracking skills are admired, that’s true. But his chakra reserves, while large, are not nearly the size of Izuna-sama’s.

Having a clan heir as a best friend makes it hard to compare himself to anyone else and Izuna-sama is better than him at just about everything.

The only thing he has done, that Izuna-sama has not, is become a runner.

And that is not Izuna-sama’s fault.

It’s his. His and Madara-sama’s.

He still thinks that they did the right thing last autumn.

After the way he saw Madara-sama looking at some of the runners, the ones who once Caught Madara-sama, he volunteered to help Madara-sama Catch Izuna-sama.

Before, Madara-sama always took that responsibility and his best friend is clever and slippery. The Run has become darker since his parents did it, and he didn’t want to take a chance on someone getting Izuna-sama before Madara-sama could.

So he volunteered to help.

Izuna-sama hasn’t spoken to him since.

It’s been six months, and he misses his best friend.

So he’s lonely and maybe that’s why he developed this, this… infatuation with Seto-san.

And Seto-san is probably going to turn him away just like he did to everyone else who’s ever said anything.

But at least he’ll have said _something_.

So he swallows his nerves, tugs on the sleeve of Seto-san’s kimono and says, “Seto-san? May I offer you courtship?”

Seto-san is smiling gently at him.

He’s the colour of a sweet potato, dug fresh from the ground. He can feel the heat in his cheeks.

There’s no way Seto-san is going to take him seriously.

And he’s right.

“Hikaku-kun, that’s a very sweet offer, but I’m afraid that I’m a little too old for you.”

Seto-san places a warm palm on his shoulder.

At least it isn’t his head.

“I’m very flattered, but perhaps you might want to seek partnership with someone closer to your own age? Like Izuna-sama? I know that you’re close.”

He can’t help it. All of his worries burst out of him.

“But he won’t talk to me anymore! Ever since I Caught him, he won’t say anything to me!”

It all comes out.

How Madara-sama and he Caught Izuna-sama. How Izuna-sama wouldn’t yield and he ended up burying his best friend up to the neck in the dirt until sunrise while they yelled at each other and had the biggest fight they’d ever had. How Izuna-sama had accused him of cheating and being unfair and _it was all true._

How he still thinks he did the right thing. How he doesn’t know what else he could have done.

He’s almost wailing. How embarrassing.

But Seto-san doesn’t seem to mind.

Instead he find himself being held in a comforting hug.

The arms around him are warm and strong but they hold him gently.

Seto-san is so much bigger that it feels like his whole world is now… just this.

It’s wonderful.

And terrifying.

The most attractive man he’s ever seen is holding him.

He wills himself not to have a reaction. Thank the gods nothing is happening.

And then he wiggles a little to try and remove himself.

Thankfully, Seto-san lets him go.

He breaths a sigh of relief.

“Thank you Seto-san. I really didn’t mean to say all of that.”

Seto-san could probably tell and he lets out a small huff of laughter. At least he doesn’t confirm it. Instead he says something unexpected.

“Sometimes, we all need to share our hurts and worries with people who are not our closest companions. Sometimes, an independent person can offer a new perspective.”

Seto-san winks as him.

“Or so I always tell the people whose secrets I wish to know.”

He can’t stop himself. He starts laughing. He can’t stop either.

He’s almost doubled over and Seto-san is patting his back with a slightly worried look by the time he can calm down.

It must have been the release of tension.

He looks up to meet Seto-san’s eyes.

“Perhaps, when you leave for the Capital, I can write to you? For that independent perspective?”

Seto-san smiles and nods.

“I would like that.”

And then he leaves with a casual wave, sakura blossoms in his hair.

Seto-san thinks that he won’t actually do it.

But he will.

He didn’t know how to prove his worth to Seto-san before, but now he does.

He sometimes thinks that persistence is his only real virtue.

This is a test of worth that is weighted in his favour, and that he is certain he can pass.

He smiles.


	3. Epistolary, Autumn - Hikaku (13) and Seto (18)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting to know you.
> 
> (Getting to know me)

Dear Seto-san,

How is the Capital?

I’ve heard that it is very beautiful, but I’d like to know how it looks to you.

I visited your parents and they look well. Spring and summer are good months for them I think. Is there anything that you would like them to have for winter? I can try and get it, if there is.

They did ask to include their letter with this one so that we don’t burden our clan mates who carry messages, so you will find their letter folded inside mine for protection.

Your sister says that she doesn’t require any help from me, so you may receive an angry note from her. I did apologise for my impertinence, but I don’t think she accepted it.

As for me, Izuna-sama is talking to me again.

Since he didn’t yield, he didn’t have to but he accepted my intimacy offering anyway. I think it was a gesture of peace. I took him to Tanabata Matsuri with my brother and sisters. My sister sat in his lap and got yakitori sauce all over his yukata.

It was the first time he laughed where I could see him in months.

His Tanabata wish was to become a runner.

I know that it’s not going to happen, and when I saw the Tanabata trees burnt in sacrifice to Amaterasu-Ōmikami, I felt terrible.

He could see it too.

I don’t know what to do.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dear Hikaku-kun,

I truly appreciate your attention to my family.

Kikiyo is going through a difficult time in her life, and is finding that her kunoichi skills do not win her the respect they should outside of the clan. It has made her prickly personality bristle even more than usual. Do not mind her anger, it will pass.

As for my parents, I will send them some medicine to improve their health, but I think they would appreciate some extra fuel for the irori over winter. They are a bit old to chop wood, and that has never been one of Kikiyo’s favoured tasks.

With regards to Izuna-sama, all you can do is what you believe is right.

I agree that the situation is difficult.

There are reasons that the Run has changed, and I cannot argue against them, but it makes for uncomfortable situations like the one you unfortunately find yourself in.

I know that you will do your best, as you always do.

Sincerely, Seto

~*~*~

Dear Seto-san,

What if he stops talking to me again?

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dear Hikaku-kun,

Then I will still be here for you.

Sincerely, Seto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hikaku’s siblings are as follows:
> 
> Older brother: 2 years older, 15 to his 13  
> Younger sister: 3 years younger, 10 to his 13  
> Youngest sister (the one who got sauce on Izuna): 5 years younger, 8 to his 13
> 
> If you want to know why I've placed Tanabata in autumn rather than summer, it's because the lunisolar calendar that was used during the Edo Period started with the Lunar New Year which generally takes place somewhere in the second half of January or the first half of February. As such, the seventh day of the seventh month was usually somewhere in August rather than July. This chapter takes place in 1817 and the seventh month began on August 13 in that year. As such, Tanabata would have been on August 20.
> 
> Since the lunisolar calendar counts seasons as starting between solstices that would put it in autumn.
> 
> For more information, there's a nice article on Tanabata in the Edo Period [here](https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2018/07/10/was-tanabata-originally-an-autumn-celebration-the-origins-food-and-decorations-of-tanabata-in-the-edo-era/).


	4. Epistolary, Autumn-Winter - Hikaku (14) and Seto (19)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A gesture of care and affection, offered with respect.
> 
> (Is generally well received. But not always.)

Dear Seto-san,

It happened again.

Just like last year, but the fight was even worse.

I didn’t know that was possible.

You family appears to be doing well and your father said that he appreciated the wood I collected. I told him that I consider myself lucky to be allowed to visit them since your mother makes the best daifuku I have ever had in my mouth and she gave me enough to share with my siblings.

He said that’s why he married her. I told him that I would marry someone for daifuku like that too, and he hinted that she has passed her recipe on to you. If that’s true, it makes my courtship even more important that ever.

Your sister on the other hand does not seem to appreciate my presence. She screamed at me when she nearly fell into one of my doton.

How goes your work in the Capital? I know that you cannot tell me much, but I am genuinely interested.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dear Hikaku-kun,

Be assured that you took the best option open to you as you saw it.

Persistence and patience are called for here. I know that you are good at those.

Izuna-sama forgave you last year, and he will again this year.

I can only hope that it will not take most of the year again.

In other matters, you did not say that the doton Kikiyo almost fell into was for a new well!

Judging by the paean of praise for you in her last letter, I think that she has forgiven you. My parents are grateful too - they are getting a little old to trek to the river every morning to obtain water.

It is true that my mother has passed on many of her recipes to me, but I do not think they are the same when I make them. When I cook them here in the Capital, they taste dry and stale even right after I finish them.

The nobles I serve them to all exclaim about them, but, somehow, they are not as good as when I steal them right off the kitchen table at home.

I think it is a mother’s love.

And, if you think her daifuku is good, you should try the namagashi she makes for hanami.

Sincerely, Seto

~*~*~

Dear Seto-san,

My doton is not as elegant as your katon, but it does serve some uses.

And a well is the least of what I could do for the family that I hope to enter.

Given what you have said, I will certainly make sure to be around for hanami in the spring. I will need to find a suitable bribe so that she will feed me.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.


	5. Epistolary, Spring-Summer - Hikaku (14) and Seto (19)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, relationships defy understanding.
> 
> (The heart is often like that.)

Dear Seto-san,

You were right.

I should make that a rule - “Seto-san is always right. We should always listen to what he has to say.”

Even though Izuna-sama has not completed the Run and become a runner, Tajima-sama said that he would take his place on the battlefield this year. That the strength of his ninjutsu and kenjutsu demanded it.

I cannot say that he is not competent - he’s far beyond merely competent - I can only say that it violates all custom and I was worried.

So I shadowed him on the battlefield.

I intended to protect him.

Instead, he saved my life.

The younger brother of the Senju heir, the one with the white hair who wears blue, nearly skewered me with a kunai and only the intervention of Izuna-sama saved me.

Somehow, this means that I am worthy of his conversation again.

I will never understand how his mind works.

Also, you were right about your mother’s namagashi. It is not only the best wagashi I have ever tasted, it is the best _food_ I have ever tasted.

Even my mother’s oden does not compare.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dear Hikaku-kun,

If only you could make that rule apply to the people I talk to everyday, you would make my life so much easier.

I am glad to hear that you and Izuna-sama are on speaking terms once again.

As for your mother’s oden, I have never tasted it and so cannot compare.

Sincerely, Seto

~*~*~

Dear Seto-san,

Words cannot describe my mother’s oden.

Come home in the winter and I will make sure that you have the chance to eat it for yourself.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dear Hikaku-kun,

I will certainly take you up on that offer.

Sincerely, Seto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As per _Escape and Evade_ , Seto does not return to the clan until after the village has been formed for two years. He returns just in time for Tobirama's first Run which is chapter 1 of _Escape and Evade_.
> 
> As such, the courtship between Hikaku and Seto will be conducted entirely through letters.
> 
> Just in case anyone is worried, that changes in chapter 16 which takes place right after chapter 4 of _Escape and Evade_ , _After the Run - Izuna/Hikaku/Seto_.


	6. Epistolary, Autumn-Winter - Hikaku (15) and Seto (20)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An act of service.
> 
> (Can be an act of love.)

Dear Seto-san,

Your family is well.

I brought them a set of furs made from the rabbits that I have been hunting all year for meat, and your mother seems to be happy with it. I hope that it will provide some extra warmth over winter as I did not like how long your father’s cough lasted last year.

Your sister was gracious in her acceptance, so I believe that she is becoming used to me. Or at least less annoyed.

I am sure that the Capital can provide you with better, but I am sending this letter and your fur with the next trader.

I look forward to your return home this winter.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dear Hikaku-kun,

The furs are lovely! I have never felt anything so luxurious. And nothing in the Capital could be better than a present from home.

Did you cure the skins yourself?

As for my visit home, I am afraid that it is likely to be delayed.

My mentor, the current ambassador, is not well and I will need to be here to care for him during the winter months.

I note that you did not mention Izuna-sama or the Run.

Are you not speaking to each other again?

Sincerely, Seto

~*~*~

Dear Seto-san,

It’s always a disappointment to hear that I won’t be able to see you again, but I do understand your need to stay in the Capital.

Your care for your mentor shows what a good person you are.

And I did cure the skins myself. My parents are tanners, as you know, and have taught me many things about hunting and trapping animals - skills that I’ve put to good use to track and hunt shinobi who trespass on our land.

Would you like me to send a set of furs for your mentor? I believe that I may still have enough rabbit skins for it.

As for Izuna-sama, he is still talking to me but he is also pouting.

Madara-sama took responsibility for placing him under a genjutsu after he was Caught this year - it is not my best skill I’m sorry to say - and that seems to have directed all of his annoyance at his brother.

I am grateful to be spared.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dear Hikaku-kun,

In your place, I would be too.

From memory, Izuna-sama’s pout is a formidable weapon indeed.

And yes, another set of furs would be much appreciated.

Sincerely, Seto


	7. Epistolary, Spring-Summer - Hikaku (15) and Seto (20)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trust.
> 
> (Can be the greatest gift of all.)

Dear Seto-san,

I trust that you’ve already heard the news of the death of Tajima-sama and the ascension of Madara-sama to become the new Clan Head without Challenge.

I’m torn.

I’m grateful for the end of many of the decisions made by Tajima-sama, but I also do not trust Madara-sama not to sacrifice the good of the clan for Izuna-sama’s sake.

After our years of letters, I know that I can speak frankly to you.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dear Hikaku-kun,

I am honoured by your trust for I know that you do not give it easily.

I understand your concerns and, to an extent, share them.

However, we cannot make judgements on what _may_ happen, only what _has_ happened.

And nothing has happened.

So let us have patience and wait.

My persistently patient Hikaku has always been good at that.

Sincerely, Seto

~*~*~

Dear Seto-san,

Thank you for your reassurances.

May I ask how the change in leadership is affecting your work in the Capital?

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dear Hikaku-kun,

It has, unfortunately, thrown all into chaos.

My mentor, as I have previously mentioned, is not well and Madara-sama has seen fit to recall him, leaving me the sole representative of our clan in the daimyo’s court.

I have not always agreed with the policies he has set, but he has a wealth of political knowledge and experience that I am sorry will no longer be available - both to our clan and to me personally.

Additionally, he has always been kind and done his best to train me to follow in his footsteps. In many ways, he is a second father to me.

I will miss him greatly.

In the midst of all of this personal and professional turmoil, all the noble patrons that we must deal with appear to have decided that I must be happy at this turn of events and have come to congratulate me!

They speak about how my beauty is an ornament to the court and dismiss my mentor as old.

They bemoan the kunai callouses on my hands and give me advice on how to remove them.

They praise my speech and fail to see the daggers hidden underneath.

It works to my advantage, but their disrespect of the skills and knowledge that both my mentor and I wield is galling.

Sincerely, Seto

~*~*~

Dear Seto-san,

I am sorry that you are beset by fools.

If I were there I would offer to hold you, but as I am not, I can only offer what little support that I may.

Anything that you wish to ask for is yours.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest Hikaku-kun,

If you were here, I would accept.

Instead, I ask only that you care for my mentor when he returns home as you have cared so well for my family.

Sincerely, Seto

~*~*~

Dear Seto-san,

That is a request that I will certainly fulfil with great joy.

As he is a second father to you, so he will be to me also.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.


	8. Epistolary, Autumn-Winter - Hikaku (16) and Seto (21)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loving you.
> 
> (Loving me.)

Dear Seto-san,

I have a gift for your parents and mentor.

After Izuna-sama yielded this year, I asked him to accompany me to the healer known to his family. I remembered that Tajima-sama had been cured of a debilitating cough one winter by a medicine that the healer had used but no one I asked knew the name of it.

Between Izuna-sama’s charming personality and my payment, the healer has agreed to return to the clan with us.

We will arrive in about a month, just in time for the beginning of winter.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest Hikaku-kun,

That is wonderful news!

I assume the message hawk which brought your letter belongs to Izuna-sama?

I do not recognise it but have cared for it just as I do the message hawks which bring me letters from Madara-sama.

When I release it with this letter, I hope that it will fly home to you.

Almost as much as I wish I were able to, also.

Please write again to let me know how you are.

Sincerely, Seto

~*~*~

Dear Seto-san,

The hawk does indeed belong to Izuna-sama and it brought your letter to us safely.

I am pleased to report that both your father and your mentor appear to be weathering the winter better than last year.

Your mother and sister in turn appear to be happier. I believe that relieving them of some of their concerns has helped their peace of mind.

It has certainly done as much for me.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest Hikaku-kun,

I thank you most sincerely for your report on my family, but I also wish to know how _you_ are.

You are the one who is courting me are you not?

It is only right that I take an interest in your life as well.

Sincerely, Seto

~*~*~

Dear Seto-san,

Thank you for taking the time to ask after me.

My family is as well as usual, but I am in the middle of a personal conflict.

The Run this year was difficult.

Many runners, especially the more senior ones who had previously been placed in charge of the Run by Tajima-sama, did not follow Madara-sama’s rules and attempted to terrorise the youngest of the Prey in an effort to awaken their Sharingan.

Madara-sama and I were too busy pursuing Izuna-sama to truly enforce the new rules, and many of them would not have accepted my authority in any case.

Now Madara-sama has introduced a new rule that, from next year onwards, all Prey are the responsibility of the highest ranked Prey in that year and all forfeits must be approved by them. The Clan Head must approve the forfeit of the highest ranked Prey. Any forfeit that is not approved must be reconsidered and a new one offered.

The rules certainly act to prevent abuse of the Run which can only be a good thing. I would like to see the Run returned to what it was in the time when our parents and grandparents were runners.

But the way Madara-sama spoke, the way he seemed to assume that the highest ranked Prey would always be Izuna-sama, it is starting to feel like he may _never_ let Izuna-sama become a runner.

I understand Madara-sama’s concerns that Izuna-sama is vulnerable to the unscrupulous, but keeping him in this state of Prey forever seems to be a refusal to acknowledge his skills. Skills which are already formidable.

You have previously spoken about the negative feelings created in both yourself and your sister when your skills are not respected they should be.

I can see this in Izuna-sama. He has been prey for 8 years now, 4 years longer than myself, and he is stretching to prove himself better than his status indicates.

He trains harder, longer. Yesterday, he refused to leave the training field even when he was exhausted and I pleaded with him to do so. He claims the White Demon as his rival and talks constantly of mastering strategies and tactics that will win him a personal victory. He assures all around him that his Sharingan will give him an overwhelming advantage and says the Senju is cursed by it’s lack.

His obsession with the White Demon terrifies me.

He is breaking under the strain, and I am part of the cause.

I do not know what to do.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest Hikaku-kun,

How I understand your pain.

To see a dear friend deal with the horrors of the battlefield is bad enough, but to see strain inflicted by family and clan is worse still.

I have no easy answers for you. There are no simple solutions to this.

If what you have observed of Madara-sama’s intentions are correct, then he is indeed placing Izuna-sama’s life above the good of the clan.

What you feared has come to pass.

At the same time, this is his first year as Clan Head.

He is only nine months into the role and still readjusting his priorities. Perhaps time will bring wisdom.

Remember: we are bound to accept his decisions.

We may speak out, make reasonable objections, attempt to persuade. But never forget that to openly and actively object without respect indicates that we may be seeking to Challenge him.

And that would be suicide.

Even if the whole clan Challenged him, one by one, we would all be killed.

Only Izuna-sama can stand up to him.

And, even if - by some lucky chance stroke - Madara-sama was killed - that would leave us all at the mercy of the Senju, their heir, and the White Demon.

So, here is my advice:

Wait.

Be my persistently patient Hikaku.

Try to bring the strain that you see in your best friend to Madara-sama’s attention. Once his eyes are opened, he may change his mind.

But, be aware - there are none so blind as those who refuse to see.

In any case, support Izuna-sama. Give him your love and kindness. Show him your respect for his skills. Demonstrate that he is more than Prey to you. Be his friend in all ways.

And when the Run occurs next year - be elsewhere.

Do not allow yourself to be placed under the burden of inflicting pain on one you love.

For his sake, and yours, and mine.

For you are dear to me.

Sincerely, Seto

~*~*~

Dear Seto-san,

As always, your advice is good.

I will follow it.

Knowing that I am dear to you is a balm to my heart.

I look forward to a time in which I may be yours in truth.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you can see Hikaku’s perspective on the canonical rivalry between Izuna and Tobirama.
> 
> Madara spoke of it as well in chapter 11 of _Escape and Evade_ ( _After the Run (Again) - Madara_ ):
> 
> _“Perhaps that should make him afraid but somehow it does not. In his memories, Izuna always seems happy and boastful after each battle even when he is injured. Izuna recounting each move that they made, dwelling on all the ones that show his brother in the best light. Izuna claiming that Tobirama is at a disadvantage due to the lack of a Sharingan was a common refrain and it always makes him smile.”_
> 
> You can see that they view it quite differently to each other.
> 
> Part of it is fear - Madara cannot conceive of Tobirama as threatening but he is a clear and present danger to Hikaku. The other part is the way in which they see Izuna’s reactions.


	9. Epistolary, Spring-Summer - Hikaku (16) and Seto (21)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joining hands.
> 
> (And hearts.)

Dear Seto-san,

Your father says that you have a request for me?

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest Hikaku-kun,

I do.

It has been three years since you began to court me and, while I did not take your courtship seriously in the beginning, I have come to know you through our letters.

Your efforts to care for our families and my mentor, as well as Izuna-sama, have shown your generous heart and it has won mine.

The embers that you have so persistently and patiently fanned have bloomed into a fire of love.

Though I cannot offer you physical affection while I am away from home, I ask if you would be willing to enter into a formal courtship with the intention of joining my family as yome.

I would care for you in all the ways a husband should, if you would let me.

Sincerely, Seto

~*~*~

Dearest Seto-san,

Nothing would make me happier!

My parents have agreed that my older brother and younger sisters are more than sufficient to care for them and our ancestors so I am free to become your yome.

I look forward to the the day when we can truly marry.

What do your parents think about this? And your sister?

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest Hikaku-kun,

That you think to ask is proof that you are as much their son as I am.

In his last letter, my father pointed out that you’d been doing muko-iri for years and I had better marry you before someone else realised how wonderful you are.

I fully agree.

And I think you had better call me Seto hadn’t you?

Sincerely, your Seto

~*~*~

Dearest Seto,

I will.

You may call me whatever you wish.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest koibito,

You may come to regret that.

Sincerely, your Seto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Centuries ago, when physical labor was so highly valued, the groom would live with the bride’s family and the groom would donate his labor for a period of time. This was called muko-iri. But by the 14th century, it was largely replaced by the custom of the woman instead marrying into the man’s family, called yome-iri.
> 
> Today, muko-iri means for a man to be adopted into the household of a female and take her name.


	10. Epistolary, Autumn-Winter - Hikaku (17) and Seto (22)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family.
> 
> (Is precious.)

Dearest Seto,

The preparations to prepare your family home for winter proceed apace.

The wood is chopped, the well is tended, and my siblings and I attempted some small repairs to the the house itself. My brother was, as always, competent and skilled but my youngest sister nearly fell off the roof and had to be tempted inside by the smell of your mother’s cooking before she broke her neck.

To be perfectly honest, I would have been happy to abandon my responsibilities to beg for scraps too, and it was only the stern eye of my nii-san that kept me at my work. However, as soon as the repairs were completed to the best of our ability, all three of us were in the kitchen and joining her in pleading to be fed.

Your mother’s cooking is amazing. We are all very grateful to be fed each time we visit.

Your father laughs at us and says we are as hungry as wild animals. I cannot say I disagree.

On that note, this was the first year that our two families have joined to celebrate the Run.

I took your advice and obtained a mission with my team that led us out of Uchiha territory, but we were greeted upon our return by an enormous meal jointly prepared by our parents.

My mother made oden, your mother made wagashi, my father unearthed some of his prized pickles to go with the rice, and your father supplied the sake.

I have no idea where he got it, but it went to all of our heads.

The neighbours must hate us now.

But I suspect that a quickly applied bribe of your mothers daifuku will sooth their tempers and she has promised me some, if I will go around and make the apologies on behalf of the family.

I have promised as much, as long as I may steal one or two for myself.

My team is very envious and say they wish to visit our families every day.

I may have to bar them from the house.

How goes your work in the Capital? Now that you are alone, I worry for you more than before.

As is my right as your intended.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest koibito,

My work in the Capital proceeds as it always has.

Tedious days of saying meaningless words, meant only to keep the conversation flowing.

Daggers hidden behind smiles that I must wield to protect the interests of our clan.

Manipulating others to say words that I cannot.

It is interesting only in the minutia of social politics that make up my daily life.

I appreciate your interest more than I can say, but perhaps it is better spoken of in person.

Moments of true danger are rare, so please do not worry yourself about me.

I am in more danger of being cut by paper than a kunai.

As for you - you did not tell me that you had been assigned a team for missions! I had to find out from Kikiyo that you have been training with them since spring! 

She also tells me that the ‘small repairs’ that you mention were not so small. Did you really replace the whole roof?

How can you fail to tell me of such important news when I am your husband to be?

Your description of the celebration has made me terribly homesick.

How I wish that I could be there! To sit around the irori and drink sake with our families, stomachs filled with food cooked with a mother’s love.

To be able to feel your head on my shoulder and wrap my arms around your waist as we laugh at Kikiyo’s face reddening with drink.

I swear that I will dream of it. Of you.

Sincerely, your Seto

~*~*~

Dearest Seto,

Would that you could have been here.

I have never seen you inebriated so I can only imagine.

I dream of you nightly.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest koibito,

When I return home, we can drink sake together as it binds us into one household.

And then you will no longer need to dream of me for I will be there to fulfil all of your imaginings.

On a less personal note, what were the results of the Run? It has been conspicuously absent from your letters.

Sincerely, your Seto

~*~*~

Dearest Seto,

The Run has been odd.

Odder than usual.

I was not there and so cannot recount as a personal witness, but the results have been strange to observe.

By everyone’s recollection Izuna-sama escaped until moonrise and so should certainly be a runner.

In fact, he was captured only an hour shy of dawn.

But he does not act like a runner.

There have been no celebrations of his new status, he does not seek additional responsibility, and he talks of trying again next year. But instead of trying to escape until moonrise, he talks of escaping until _sunrise_.

He still acts and talks like he is Prey.

Madara-sama does the same.

I do not understand.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest koibito,

I am afraid that it is as you feared.

Izuna-sama has pushed himself so hard to over match the goals set for him that he has applied a new criteria to himself alone.

No longer is he satisfied to be as good as everyone else, he must drive himself to prove that he is better.

It is similar to the way he has claimed the White Demon for a rival.

No one else would dream of such a thing.

A whole team would band together to attack or defend against such a foe.

But Izuna-sama has claimed the White Demon for himself alone and refused any interference.

Just as Madara-sama has claimed the Senju Clan Head for his own rival.

I cannot see how this will end well for any of us.

Izuna-sama will need your support more than ever.

Sincerely, your Seto

~*~*~

Dearest Seto,

As always, your insights are wise and greatly appreciated.

Now that you have explained, it is as if my eyes are opened.

I see now that I am needed there too.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest koibito,

Beloved, you are needed by all who know you.

Sincerely, your Seto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So why does Tobirama act like Izuna is still Prey when he was told - once - that Izuna almost made it to sunrise?
> 
> Why doesn’t he realise that Izuna should have already graduated since Prey graduate at moonrise? 
> 
> Setsuna mentions it in chapter 9 ( _Missing Scene - Hokage Tower_ ) and Kagami mentions it in chapter 3 ( _Missing Scene - Kagami_ ). When they are waiting together for Tobirama’s second Run to begin in chapter 6 ( _Time to Run (Again)_ ), Izuna implies it too:
> 
> _"The group is usually quite a bit larger, but your dear Kagami-kun staged a mass breakout last year and almost all of them managed to successfully conceal themselves until moonrise.”_
> 
> It’s because he first learned the rules from Izuna, and Izuna holds himself to a higher standard.
> 
> So Tobirama does also.
> 
> They trust each other absolutely and sometimes, just sometimes, it bites them on the ass.


	11. Epistolary, Spring-Summer - Hikaku (17) and Seto (22)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you fall in love with your best friend.
> 
> (It changes your life.)

Seto,

I have begged permission from Madara-sama to include my letter with his when it is sent by message hawk so that it will reach you with all urgency.

The situation is as follows:

The White Demon revealed a new weapon on the battlefield and nearly killed Izuna-sama.

Izuna-sama now lives only by the mercy of the Senju.

Madara-sama and Izuna-sama have called for peace talks.

I have discovered that I am in love with Izuna-sama.

This is not what we agreed to.

What do I do?

Hikaku

~*~*~

Koibito,

You were right to send your letter with Madara-sama’s.

I have been kept busy organising the quiet removal of most of our clan mates from the Capital for the discussion at home, but its early arrival has given me much time to think and plan.

So let me answer your questions, both spoken and unspoken.

You have not betrayed me.

That you have enough room in your heart to love more than one person is no surprise.

That the person you love is Izuna-sama, is not new information to me either.

With every Run that you have performed together, the intimacy forfeits have tied you closer and closer. That is what they are _for_.

If I were truly as noble as the Uchiha Clan proclaims itself to be, I would give you up. I would give you the freedom to pursue and court Izuna-sama as you once courted me. I would give you a path to claim his heart as you have claimed mine.

I am not that noble.

I am _selfish_ , and I _cannot bear to let you go_.

You are mine.

And so I say to you - court Izuna-sama for us both.

As you left your family line to become part of mine, I will leave my family line to become part of his.

Kikiyo has already agreed.

She will take responsibility for our parents and our ancestors. She will either marry a man who will agree to join our family and give her children, or she will tie herself to a line that will agree to look after our family for all time and our line will end.

So _I_ am now _yours_.

Take me with you. Bring us to Izuna-sama’s flame as an offering and attempt to claim his heart.

I will offer you what advice and material support as best I can from a distance, but you are the one whom he knows. You are already close.

Build on that.

I am certain that you will succeed with him as you did with me.

Lead us in this and I will follow, for you carry my heart with you.

Your Seto


	12. Epistolary, Autumn-Winter - Hikaku (18) and Seto (23)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Small steps.
> 
> (Towards love.)

Dearest Seto,

You were right.

(I still maintain that this should be a rule for us all.)

Officially filing the paperwork for my transfer into your family and moving into the home of your parents over the summer has served to marry us within the eyes of the clan, despite the lack of a ceremony and your presence.

I feel a little like a ghost bride, performing the duties of a wife to the parents of an absent husband but I am happy to do so.

You occupy a constant place in my mind and heart.

It has also served to distract Madara-sama from our true purpose.

As agreed, I asked for a kiss - Izuna-sama’s first as it turns out - for my intimacy offering. Given the other option was teaching a member of my team who he dislikes a particularly tricky bit of katon he seized upon it with with enthusiasm.

Madara-sama did not object even once.

I have never dared look upon Izuna-sama with my Sharingan outside of sparing.

After he touched his lips to mine, I could no longer resist.

The potential is _there_ , Seto.

I could _see_ it.

I suspect he felt it as well.

His blush was charming.

Now it is the talk of the clan. It has been a month and Izuna-sama is still the subject of much gossip and teasing. He is constantly awkward around me and now seems to see me as a potential romantic partner.

As you predicted, the reaction of our clan has successfully transitioned me from friend to potential lover, though I am not sure that even you could have guessed how quickly it would happen.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest koibito,

I will say it once again - not everyone is as convinced of my infallibility as you are, my loved one.

Still, I am glad that our plan is no longer sparks but tinder set alight.

There is much work to do to fan it into flame however.

I know that you are capable of it.

Perhaps by next year, we may claim him together.

Sincerely, your Seto

~*~*~

Dearest Seto,

That is my fondest wish.

Do you have any further ideas about how to evade Madara-sama’s suspicions?

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest koibito,

I believe that you may continue on as you always have.

Madara-sama will become more suspicious rather than less at any attempts to ingratiate yourself with him, as your efforts to win over my family are well known. He is distracted by the creation of the village, and forming a bureaucracy to govern it. Take advantage of that and leave him to it.

Instead, I suggest that you apply yourself to win Izuna-sama’s heart.

He has ever been an independent thinker and, while he remains bound to Madara-sama’s decisions, he often acts to subvert them.

If we give him enough motivation, I am certain that he will choose us - even in the teeth of Madara-sama’s opposition, if necessary.

Sincerely, your Seto

~*~*~

Dearest Seto,

And do you have any ideas about how to do _that_?

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest koibito,

Oh, my love.

Do not be uncertain of your charms!

You won me, who had received so many offers that I could not have counted them.

Because you did not offer beauty, gifts, or charm.

You offered love, simple, and unstinting. Care and affection have a value all their own and cannot be counterfeited.

You have offered that to Izuna-sama for as long as I have known you.

Continue to do so, physically demonstrate your affection within the limits of his boundaries, and allow desire to show in your eyes.

As long as he can be persuaded to look at you, he will see love.

If all fails, we will Catch him together during the Run next year.

Since he persists in this delusion that he is Prey, we may as well take advantage of it to press our suit.

Sincerely, your Seto


	13. Epistolary, Spring-Summer - Hikaku (18) and Seto (23)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A long awaited meeting.
> 
> (Will soon come to pass.)

Dearest koibito,

How goes the courtship?

Sincerely, your Seto

~*~*~

Dearest Seto,

I believe it is going well.

Izuna-sama has grown comfortable with physical contact.

I may now touch him on the arm, wrist, and even hand without a negative reaction. I have not dared touch his face, but he looks at me more than ever - though not with the Sharingan.

Additionally, your family and mine appear to have formed a conspiracy.

My family have always treated Izuna-sama as a beloved adopted member, and your family appears to have taken my entry into their household as an excuse to do the same.

As ‘Hikaku’s best friend’, he is constantly invited to either house where he is plied with food and surrounded by family. Nii-san is particularly amused that Izuna-sama can be captured by a one year old and will not move with a sleeping child in his arms.

Needless to say, my family has taken shameless advantage of this.

Yesterday, I returned from the training field to find Izuna-sama at your house, eating your mother's cooking, which my 12 year old sister was feeding him because he would not move his hands in case he dropped my nephew.

I think that they may well win this campaign for us, beloved.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest koibito,

Then I have good news.

Madara-sama has asked me to return to the clan at the end of summer.

Perhaps we can present our case to him and ask for permission to court Izuna-sama as an intimacy offering after the next Run.

Sincerely, your Seto

~*~*~

Dearest Seto,

The joy in my heart that I may see you once again after five long years of letters cannot be expressed!

I look forward to your return with longing and anticipation.

If we cannot marry without Izuna-sama, then we will at least be together at last.

Perhaps it will tide us over until we can claim him for our own.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest koibito,

I fully intend for us to be together in all ways.

We may not have performed san-san-kudo, but you have moved into my household and are officially part of my line.

I am your husband and I intend to claim you as such.

Yome.

I will ensure that your imaginings are satisfied until we can claim the last part of our family.

Sincerely, your Seto

~*~*~

Dearest Seto,

You have no idea of my imaginings.

I hope that you are prepared for much effort.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest koibito,

I am more than prepared, I am eager.

Sincerely, your Seto


	14. Epistolary, Autumn-Winter - Hikaku (19) and Seto (24)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Big brothers.
> 
> (Can be overprotective.)

Dearest koibito,

I am sorry that you had to do the Run alone again this year.

I know it was not our hope.

Still, at least I can now tell anyone who has never met Madara-sama that the phrase ‘breathing flame’ is not a metaphor but literal truth.

Sincerely, your Seto

~*~*~

Dearest Seto,

That we could not Run together is the fault of neither of us.

It is Madara-sama’s.

I understand his instinctive reluctance, but we are not strangers to him!

We are not petitioning to remove Izuna-sama from his family.

We are asking to join it.

To be allowed to claim only a single kiss is very disappointing.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest koibito,

Patience love, patience.

It appears that even your fabled calm has limits.

Madara-sama is merely testing us.

He has no idea of how long we have waited for this, or how deeply buried your feelings for Izuna-sama have been.

We presented the idea suddenly, and he allowed his instinctive reaction to stand.

He has promised to allow us to offer courtship next year, has he not?

If we can Catch Izuna-sama, of course.

And I have no doubts that we will.

Sincerely, your Seto

~*~*~

Dearest Seto,

I am sorry.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest koibito,

No, my love.

Your disappointment is real as is mine.

But our hopes are not dashed, merely postponed.

You have another year to win Izuna-sama’s heart and Kikiyo tells me that he is not indifferent to you.

Offer him your love and attention and his fire will rise to meet yours.

Be my persistently patient Hikaku.

None can resist you.

Sincerely, your Seto

~*~*~

Dearest Seto,

Your faith in me is as warming as always.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest koibito,

I hope that it is not only my faith that is warming.

Sincerely, your Seto

~*~*~

Dearest Seto,

You know that it is not.

I performed the Run with your marks on my body and claimed our kiss with lips that still bore your bruises.

Come next year, I hope that it will not only be _my_ neck that is marked, but _his_.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest koibito,

It is not only my hope, but my intention.

Next year, we will Catch and claim ourselves a husband.

Sincerely, your Seto


	15. Epistolary, Spring-Summer - Hikaku (19) and Seto (24)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jealousy.
> 
> (Does not always mean what you think it means.)

Dearest Seto,

I am jealous of the White Demon.

Is that not an absurd statement?

I have just written it and yet I can hardly believe it.

But it is true.

Since the Run in Autumn, Izuna-sama spends as little time with me as possible and is forever with him.

I no longer hold the position of Izuna-sama’s best friend, though he is mine.

Have I gone wrong somehow?

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest koibito,

No. This is a positive sign.

He is distancing himself from you.

He recognises that you are a threat to his equilibrium and is endeavouring to protect himself by hiding behind his former rival, new friend, and the most intimidating person he knows.

He is hoping that you will not pursue him in Senju-sama’s presence.

You must do so.

Continue to offer him the same support, and as openly as you ever have.

Do not be intimidated by Senju-sama.

Enlist him instead.

Sincerely, your Seto

~*~*~

Dearest Seto,

Enlist the White Demon?

Have you lost your mind entirely?

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest koibito,

How I laugh to imagine your voice in my head.

All those years of letters and patient waiting, and yet a week of your company has made me crave you.

I miss you so.

But no, I have not gone insane.

Think. Izuna-sama wishes to hide from you because _you are affecting him_.

He recognises that you bring change to his life, and you do.

Show him that the change you bring is no threat but only a continuation of the love you have always borne him and he will be reassured.

Show him that you do not fear his new friendship.

Show him your unstinting support and love.

He will respond.

Additionally, I have information from Kikiyo. Remember that she has agreed to assist in our campaign. She has told me that Senju-sama thinks well of you and that he and Izuna-sama are attempting to change the minds of our clan with regards to the Senju.

They are attempting to make the peace treaty stronger.

Support them. Support the peace which is bringing us prosperity and safety.

Support Izuna-sama in his efforts.

Senju-sama is. We can do no less.

Sincerely, your Seto

~*~*~

Dearest Seto,

As you hear my voice when you read my words, so I hear your voice when I read yours.

I imagine it, kind and knowing, filled with sly cunning.

How I miss you.

I will do as you advise, though the White Demon makes me nervous.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest koibito,

Do not think of him as a Demon and he will be less intimidating.

Think of him as Senju-sama. The Senju who is a friend to Izuna-sama and showed mercy to an Uchiha on the battlefield.

I have one more piece of advice: Kikiyo tells me that Izuna-sama is constantly looking at Senju-sama with his Sharingan.

Ask if you may do so as well.

Sincerely, your Seto

~*~*~

Dearest Seto,

You were right.

As always.

(One day I will convince everyone we know of this truth.)

Senju-sama gave me permission to view him with the Sharingan when he was demonstrating a piece of ninjutsu.

Utterly harmless, but I was instinctively on guard.

But once I looked at him with the Sharingan, I could see that he was no threat.

His expression, his gestures, everything - they all spoke of a kind of calm concentration. He was not about to attack. He was teaching. Teaching me, an Uchiha who had killed Senju.

He felt no anger, no malice, no disgust.

Only calm.

It was incredibly reassuring.

I have since observed him many times and the experience has been repeated over and over again.

I no longer fear him.

Izuna-sama seems to approve.

We now, all three, spend several hours a week together while I organise for several of our younger clan mates to spar one by one with Senju-sama.

Izuna-sama still avoids time alone with me, but he will allow me to touch him in Senju-sama’s presence.

I am grateful for this.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest koibito,

Well done.

Persist in this way and you will acclimate both of them to your presence.

You will become as unthreatening and necessary as the air that fuels a flame.

If Izuna-sama feels safe in Senju-sama’s presence, we will make use of that to capture him in the Run.

Summer is drawing to a close. Autumn will be here soon.

I will come home.

Together we will work to claim him.

Sincerely, your Seto

~*~*~

Dearest Seto,

I look forward to it.

And to you.

Sincerely, your Hikaku.

~*~*~

Dearest koibito,

No more than I do.

Yome.

Sincerely, your Seto


	16. After the Run, Autumn - Hikaku (20)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, love leaves.
> 
> (Have faith that it will come back.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place just after chapter 4 of _Escape and Evade_ , _After the Run - Izuna/Hikaku/Seto_.

Hikaku stands at the door.

He cannot help but stare wistfully as Izuna-sama walks away.

Izuna-sama is not as tall as himself or his husband, but he is slim and strong.

To see only the straight back as he leaves fills Hikaku with longing.

Last night was wonderful. All that he could have ever imagined.

They Caught him. They claimed him. He accepted their offers of courtship and physical affection. He even allowed them into his body, one after the other. Hikaku first, and then Seto. When they woke before dawn his body was littered with their marks. Bruises on his wrists, teeth marks on his neck.

Everyone in the clan will see their claim on him.

But now sunrise is almost here and he is gone.

And Hikaku is left waiting.

He feels Seto’s arms wrap around him. They offer a comfort that he sorely needs.

“He will return. Do not worry.” His husband offers the words quietly, a whisper in his ear. “Izuna-sama is only protecting himself.”

Hikaku cannot help but worry. He always worries.

Both of the men whom he loves are so much more than he.

Seto, talented and beautiful, knowing and wise, cunning and sly. Always right, and full of good advice.

Izuna-sama, lovely and strong, with a mind as quick as lightning, always alert for an opening to advance, who tries so hard but never believes that he is enough.

His heart cries out for them, to protect them, wrap them in his love.

But he is the least of the three.

Somehow, he won his husband’s heart. Through patience and persistent offerings of affection, waiting out the long years when Seto was away at court. He counts himself lucky that no one else in the clan who had made offerings of courtship was accepted before him.

He simply outlasted them all.

And now he is yome.

But there is still a piece of him missing.

Izuna-sama has been his friend since childhood.

Through all the challenges of the war, the terrible strain put on Izuna-sama by Madara-sama’s decisions, the founding of the village, the new friendship between Izuna-sama and Senju-sama…

He has been there for it all.

And the love buried in his heart has worked its way to the surface as surely and slowly as a rock in a field.

Now Izuna-sama knows. Now Izuna-sama accepts.

And it is his turn, once again, to persistently and patiently offer love in the hopes that it will be accepted.

He has hope but no certainty.

That role is for his husband to claim.

And he does.

He feels teeth on his neck. His husband has obviously tired of watching him fret.

“You are thinking too hard, koibito. Izuna-sama is not unaffected by us. Last night proved that beyond all doubt. He hardly knows me but he allowed himself to fall into my arms, trusting my reflexes to be fast enough to prevent injury. On your word, he trusted that Madara-sama had approved the forfeit and our intimacy offerings. His trust in you enabled him to allow me into his body.”

He can feel breath on his skin as the words are murmured. His husband’s mouth is just under his jaw where the skin is thin and vulnerable. It makes him shiver.

“Izuna-sama trusts us with his life, his body, and his reputation. We need only win his mind and heart.”

Seto punctuates this conclusion with a gentle kiss. And then a harsh bite under the ear where it will be visible to everyone.

Right over the mark placed on his skin by Izuna-sama’s lips.

Now he is shuddering with arousal.

He tries to turn, but his husband holds him firmly in place, hands sliding under his sleep yukata.

This is still new to him.

Last year, they only had a week together before Madara-sama sent his husband back to the Capital.

It was a good excuse for their failure to perform san-san-kudo, but he resents that their time was cut short all the same.

In fact, he resents Madara-sama for a lot more than that.

To have to wait another year was… disappointing.

But it means that he is still not used to the pleasure that his husband brings out in his body.

It’s a vulnerability that Seto has no hesitation in exploiting. In fact, he seems to revel in it.

It would be annoying if it didn’t feel so good.

Just as the calloused fingers on his hip do.

And the lips that touch, feather light, along his hairline at the sensitive nape of his neck.

“I have faith in you. In us. We are together, and we will prove ourselves to him. We will win him as our husband. Just as you won me for yours.”

He reaches out to catch his husband’s wrist.

“Take me back to the futon. I want to feel you around me as the sun rises to greet the world.”

He can feel Seto’s smile.

“With all the pleasure in the world. Yome.”


	17. Lunar New Year, Spring - Seto (25)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family.
> 
> (Is a gift that can be offered.)

Seto smiles broadly at Hikaku.

Hikaku looks stern. He rarely smiles in public. His team lives in terror of his disapproval. All the young Genin flinch when they catch his eye.

And yet, here he is fussing that the tatami around the irori is not clean enough.

No one outside of their families would believe it even if they saw it. They would think they were under a genjutsu.

Their families would laugh and nod.

Tonight they are all going to be together for the celebration of the turning of the year.

Usually, families would celebrate separately. For all that it is officially spring, it is still cold enough that nobody really wants to be moving around outside too much.

But, since the year that Hikaku turned seventeen, it has become tradition for their two families to come together at his parents house - smaller than it used to be since the move to the village, but still big enough for everyone - and cook a feast for everyone to enjoy.

His mother is fifty, but she is still spry for her age and they have been busy all afternoon in the kitchen. He has been doing most of the cooking, and she has been instructing him while drinking tea, rising only to put the finishing touches on the meal.

Hikaku has been complaining that the smells alone are driving him to insanity.

His father has unearthed yet more bottles of his famous sake and he does not want to know where they came from. The neighbours will need appeasement once again in the morning.

He has already set aside daifuku in bento boxes for the sacrifice.

Hikaku’s sisters have been here since dawn helping Hikaku and Kikiyo prepare the house and are currently arguing with Hikaku about the cleanliness of the tatami.

Kikiyo has wisely chosen to leave the room to change into a new kimono.

Hikaku’s parents will be here soon, bearing their famous oden and pickles. Hikaku’s older brother will bring his family as well, and they will have the chance to hold their nephew once more. Once the end of spring arrives, there will be a new baby to hold and admire. A blessing. He looks forward to it.

And there will be a pair of new guests this year.

Which is probably why Hikaku is fussing.

“Koibito. You will need to change before our guests arrive. Perhaps you might leave the tatami as it is, and have a quick wash?”

Hikaku looks up quickly and then nods. His sisters throw up their hands in exasperation and bolt out of the room.

He takes the hand of his beloved.

“Do not worry over much. All will be well.”

Hikaku takes the kiss on the forehead with grace despite being taller than him. He never got to make this gesture before Hikaku surpassed him in height, but he is fond of it none the less.

When he pats Hikaku on the rear as he leaves the room, that is not taken as well.

The look he receives promises revenge. He looks forward to it.

Ah. It feels like Madara-sama and Izuna-sama are early. He can sense them approaching and hurries to be at the genkan before they can announce themselves.

He opens the door and bows low, as is appropriate.

“Welcome, Madara-sama and Izuna-sama. We are glad to have you as our guests.”

Madara-sama looks awkward. “Uh, sorry for the intrusion.”

Izuna-sama appears amused. He pushes past his brother to offer a gift. “It's nothing special, but here’s a little something for you.”

More sake. The neighbours will truly hate them all. Perhaps the presence of Madara-sama and Izuna-sama will make them more shy of expressing their disapproval.

“We are very grateful. Please come in.”

They do, and have barely removed their sandals in the genkan when there is a loud commotion on the path. He hurries outside.

As he expected, Hikaku’s parents are here. He supports the pot of oden as they climb up onto the engawa. Hikaku’s mother complains that she is not so old that she cannot carry her own cooking and heads straight for the kitchen. Hikaku’s father follows on her heels.

Instead, Hikaku’s nephew is thrust into his arms as Hikaku’s brother helps his heavily pregnant wife up the steps.

Izuna-sama appears at his shoulder. “He’s grown since I last saw him.”

A perfect opportunity. He hands the child over to Izuna-sama. “Perhaps you two should become reacquainted then?”

He bows to Madara-sama who is convulsed with laughter at Izuna-sama’s nonplussed expression. “Please excuse me, I must see to the food.”

Hikaku’s family leaves with him as they abandon the two brothers with a toddler who promptly begins to wail.

Ah, family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might notice that I make a distinction between the two entrances into the house - the genkan and the engawa.
> 
> The genkan is the entrance (and exit) at which visitors are welcomed. It's effectively a front door and is the more formal entrance. Important people like Madara and Izuna would definitely use it and there's an actual ritual for how that's supposed to happen.
> 
> On the other hand, the engawa is the veranda that runs along the side of the house. The engawa is the entrance and exit used by family. It's distinctly informal.
> 
> The distinction between them is important to the plot because, just like the names that people use for each other, it's a symbol for a developing relationship.
> 
> If you want to know more, check out chapter 69 of _The World Building of Courting Culture Confusion_ , _World Building - The Difference between a Genkan and an Engawa_. As a bonus, it also has a description of how the Uchiha compound is laid out.


	18. Lunar New Year, Spring - Hikaku (20)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love.
> 
> (Is a consummation devoutly to be wished.)

Hikaku is happy.

His stomach is full of food, his husband’s arm is around his waist and Izuna-sama’s head is in his lap.

The look that Madara-sama is sending them promises that Izuna-sama will not be in their bed tonight.

He did not expect it.

As with all of their courtship, each step will only be taken at Izuna-sama’s will.

As he invites them into his bed, so they will go.

As he places his head in Hikaku’s lap, so is he accepted.

They can only invite and persuade. It is up to Izuna-sama to accede or not.

For now, he enjoys the soft fall of hair between his fingers and strokes Izuna-sama’s forehead lightly.

Izuna-sama seems to enjoy his attentions.

He is grateful.

There is a burst of laughter as Kikiyo onee-san finishes recounting an amusing story of Hokage-sama escaping the office to hide from paperwork in a tree until Senju-sama was forced to retrieve him.

Even Madara-sama is smiling.

He is glad to be able to give them this experience of family.

When he visited their household as Izuna-sama’s friend during their childhood, he always found their family cold and formal. Perhaps it was because Tajima-sama had so many responsibilities as Clan Head and was grieved at the loss of three of this children, but Madara-sama and Izuna-sama were always raised more as soldiers in a war than as family.

So he is happy to give them this. This joy, and laughter, and food, and noise.

Oh, the noise.

His sisters are starting to shout.

The elder is a runner, and the younger took her turn as Prey this year, but you would think them still children by their behaviour.

“The sun has set!” they cry “Full dark is here! We can see the stars!”

They are angling to be allowed to light the lanterns of course.

So he rebukes them.

“Perhaps you would care to ask our esteemed guests if they are ready to participate.”

“Participate in what?” Izuna-sama turns onto his back to look up at them.

His husband answers, “Every spring, at the turn of the season, all the members of our families make a paper lantern and write a wish on it for the future. A small katon warms the air inside it and allows it to be launched into the sky. I believe that Hikaku’s sisters have made one for each of you, should you wish to indulge us.”

His sisters promptly look at Madara-sama with the most piteous faces they can muster.

Madara-sama’s famed willpower crumples like an origami frog dropped into a pond.

Izuna-sama curls into a ball with the force of his laughter.

Both of them agree.

Madara-sama writes ‘Peace’ on his lantern as everyone expected, but Izuna-sama appears to be having more trouble. He asks everyone what they are wishing for.

His youngest sister is wishing to become a runner.

Izuna-sama and he share a look when she says that, both of them remembering the year when Izuna-sama wrote that exact wish on his tanzaku. It is a memory both precious and sad to him.

His other sister is wishing for some extra training so that she may earn a spot at the Mission Desk.

Nii-san and his wife both touch her stomach and say, “The baby, safely delivered into the world.” All the parents nod agreement.

The family is solemn for a moment.

Izuna-sama breaks then mood. He prefers to camouflage his emotions with levity, much as Madara-sama prefers to hide his with bluster.

He smirks at them, “So, what about you two? The baby as well?” 

Shujin and he share a look and shake their heads.

“You.” they say simply.

Izuna-sama looks surprised.

Perhaps they have not demonstrated their emotions enough if he can doubt their hearts like this.

He picks up their lantern and holds it out to him.

Izuna-sama takes it, and examines it carefully before returning it.

He then picks up his own lantern and writes ‘Love’.

Hikaku’s heart beats faster.

There can be very little more encouraging than this.

When the lanterns rise into the sky on their katon, his hopes rise with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ritual with the paper lanterns that Hikaku’s family uses to celebrate is based on the Paper Balloon Festival in Kamihinokinai which dates back to the Edo period (1603-1868) as a way to mark the Lunar New Year.
> 
> And yes, this dinner was their version of the Chinese New Year reunion dinner.
> 
> My upbringing is showing again.
> 
> If you’re curious about exactly when this chapter takes place, it is on January 31, 1824.
> 
> If you’d like to know why Hikaku refers to Seto as shujin, I wrote a chapter about the names for husband and wife roles in chapter 25 of _The World Building of Courting Culture Confusion_ , _Characterisation and World Building - Why Yome / Goshujin-sama?_ )


	19. Lunar New Year, Spring - Izuna (19)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Big brothers.
> 
> (Can still be scolded.)

Izuna was drunk.

But not so drunk that he could not think.

Or talk.

“So, that was an interesting dinner.”

Nii-san was silent.

Perhaps a little more provocation was necessary.

“Did you enjoy yourself?”

Nii-san grunted.

Okay. It was time to be _really_ annoying.

“Personally, I thought that Seto-san looked very nice with his family. Holding the kid, very fatherly…”

Nii-san broke.

“SHUT UP. YES, they are nice. YES, I said they could offer to court you if they Caught you this year. YES, I am SORRY that I didn’t tell you FIRST.”

Nii-san was panting.

It was funny.

“Well, I wasn’t planning on _asking_ for an apology, but it’s nice to _have_ one.”

He smiled into the darkness as they walked home.

“So. You think they’re nice…?”

“IZUNA. SHUT UP.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seto and Hikaku caught Izuna on September 20, 1823. This Lunar New Year chapter takes place on January 31, 1824.
> 
> Madara's apology for letting Izuna be ambushed by that offering was waaaaay overdue.


	20. Hanami, Spring - Hikaku (20)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura blossoms.
> 
> (Can symbolise many things.)

Hikaku looks up at the sakura trees.

This will be the third spring since the village was formed and he is still not used to it.

All of the sakura trees are in bloom. The ume trees too, and the scent of their blossoms is heady in the air.

He feels slightly intoxicated.

Usually the blossoms only last a week or two, but with Hokage-sama in the village, trees that were seedlings only three years ago are now fully grown and will flower for most of the month.

A beauty that was once transient and a metaphor for the fragility of life, luminous and beautiful yet fleeting and ephemeral, has been extended far beyond it’s natural life span.

It is one of the most beautiful and intimidating uses of the mokuton that he has ever seen - the whole village held in the perfect embodiment of spring.

Perhaps it is a good metaphor for shinobi life after all.

They are dealers in death and violators of the natural order of things. They expand on life where they can, and cut it short where they must.

He wonders what fertiliser was used for these sakura trees.

Shujin holds out a hand for him to take.

Instead he puts their bento into it and wraps his arm around his husband’s waist.

Six months together in the same place and he still feels privileged to be allowed these small intimacies. He feels like everyone is looking at them, but knows that it is merely his imagination.

Or not.

For there is one person who _is_ looking at them.

Izuna-sama is waving at them from the cloth that he has spread under a sakura tree in the park.

“Good morning! Perfect timing! It’s almost midday and the park is filling up, so get over here and let’s eat!”

He makes grabbing motions with his hands like he used to when they were children.

HIs deliberately childish gestures never fail to amuse.

So Hikaku will be equally childish.

He lays out the food as slowly as possible, lingering over the placement of each dish as Izuna-sama fidgets with impatience and shujin laughs silently at both of them.

He can tell.

Finally, when he can put it off no longer, he hands out the chopsticks.

“Itadakimasu!” cries Izuna-sama joyfully. Shujin and he are quieter as they chorus the words with him.

And then, as quick as he can, he stabs a dumpling and brings it to Izuna-sama’s lips.

Izuna-sama looks surprised but he takes it into his mouth.

And then he looks _really_ surprised.

“This is delicious!” he exclaims as soon as he has swallowed. “Did your mother make this?”

Hikaku shakes his head and nods at his husband. “Shujin did.”

Shujin smiles slightly and looks faintly smug. “My mother made the namagashi though. She makes it every year for hanami. Family tradition.”

He cannot stop himself from expressing his enthusiasm. “It is the best food I have ever put in my mouth.”

Izuna-sama is laughing at him. “Best food? Not best thing?”

He smirks. The perfect opening. 

“No. That would be you.”

Izuna-sama blushes.

Ha!

The dumpling he takes for himself tastes like triumph.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know that Hikaku commits the chopstick etiquette crime of tsuki-bashi.
> 
> Yes, I know it’s rude and makes you look like you’re lacking in manners.
> 
> It’s rude because it looks like you’re attacking your food.
> 
> And they’re shinobi.
> 
> I figure they’d do it on instinct if they weren’t concentrating on being polite. Or, in this case, deliberately performing an ‘attack’ on Izuna’s composure.
> 
> I read a scene in _Scent and Sensibility_ by flailinginlove in which Kakashi automatically flips his chopsticks into the reverse grip he favours for kunai when he thinks he’s being attacked while eating dinner and the concept of ‘chopsticks as weapons’ just stuck with me.
> 
> Also, Hikaku was making a gesture of intimacy there - getting Izuna to eat off his chopsticks. Totally an anime style indirect kiss.
> 
> Finally, Hikaku’s musings about the fertiliser Hashirama uses for his sakura trees is a reference to the opening from the novel “Under the Cherry Trees” by Motojiro Kajii, which goes “Dead bodies are buried under cherry blossoms!”
> 
> Since the novel was written in 1928, I couldn’t use it directly, but it’s such a popular quote in relation to hanami and it’s such a shinobi line that I couldn’t bear not to make an allusion to it somehow.


	21. Hanami, Spring - Izuna (19)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, your life is a cliche.
> 
> (That doesn’t mean it isn’t enjoyable.)

Izuna was enjoying hanami this year.

He’d never bothered before.

He was usually too busy rushing about from place to place, and the sakura blossoms were just a pretty background in his life.

But Hikaku and Seto had invited him, and he did accept their courtship offer, so here he is - sitting on a cloth under a sakura tree, drunk on sake and draped in Hikaku’s haori because Seto had said he looked cold.

He could not think of a more stereotypical courtship gesture.

Claiming and warming, all in a single action.

And yet, it was working.

He felt warmer, the cloth was surrounding him in Hikaku’s scent, and Seto’s admiring smile was making him preen ever so slightly.

He felt dumb and thrilled all at once.

Perhaps that was a consequence of coming to romance so late. He should have done this when he was thirteen just like Hikaku did. No one cared about being an idiot when they were thirteen.

A wind blew, and a shower of sakura petals rained over them.

Now that could not be coincidence.

That had to be the work of a mischievous fūton user somewhere.

While he was debating the merits of getting up and going to look for whoever was responsible for turning his life into some sort of bad poetry competition, Hikaku reached out and plucked a sakura petal out of his hair.

“You had something.”

Hikaku was smirking.

Gods. When he’d decided that Hikaku was an asshole when he was twelve, he was really only being prescient.

And then Hikaku carefully wrapped the petal in one of the furoshiki and tucked it into Seto’s sleeve.

They smiled at each other, and then at him.

Fine. Screw being embarrassed by romance.

He was going to enjoy this.


	22. Hanami, Spring - Seto (25)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you are exactly where you are meant to be.
> 
> (Together.)

Seto is content.

The ume tree that they had planted when the house was first built, just over two years ago now, reaches for the sky. It’s branches are covered with blossoms, and they appear to cast a shadow on the waxing moon.

It reminds him of an ukiyo-e print that he saw while he was in the Capital, by an artist whose name he does not trouble himself to remember.

This is so much better than the print because it is real.

If he was inclined to believe in such things, the waxing moon would be a good omen, growing full just as their courtship is progressing.

The courtiers in the Capital would no doubt make lovely poetry out of the comparison.

But he is a shinobi above all and so he only says, “I think things went well today. Izuna-sama appeared to enjoy himself.”

Koibito lets out a small laugh, barely louder than an exhaled breath. His laughs, like his smiles, are usually small and all the more precious for it.

“He is amused by us and our courtship. He accepts the care and comfort that we offer. But we have not truly touched his heart.”

This is true.

Izuna-sama still looks at them from a distance. He does not trust in the emotion that they offer. He does not rely on them to be present to offer him support.

It will come with time.

“Perhaps it is time to care for him in other ways. To acclimate him to my presence. He still does not know me as well as he knows you.”

Hikaku turns in his lap to look up at his face. A sardonic eyebrow communicates scepticism.

“And how do you intend to do that?”

“He likes my cooking.” Seto points out. “I will bring him bento for his midday meal. Perhaps I will even decorate it to show my affection. Onigiri in the shape of hearts, for example.”

Koibito curls into a shape reminiscent of a cooked shrimp. His laughter is soft, but it shakes his tall frame until he is all but vibrating with it. He can barely speak for laughing. “Hearts!” he gasps out. “Onigiri _hearts_! Gods! Izuna-sama’s _face_!”

The idea amuses him too. His terrible sense of humour can always be relied upon to amuse Hikaku, and - as their single night together attests - Izuna-sama is as weak to it as his beloved. If Izuna-sama responds well, he will include other items, even more egregiously terrible. Violently pink mochi, flavoured with sakura, would be appropriate to the season. When stabbed they could be made to leak red bean paste… he loses himself in menu planning.

He’s brought back to the present as koibito calms and looks up at him again.

His hand has been captured and their fingers are tangled together. His other hand is left free because, even here - in the quiet darkness of night, hidden in the shadows, in the safety of the compound and the village - Hikaku’s combat instincts will not let him leave them defenceless. Koibito’s other hand is always left free to form a seal or reach for a weapon.

“Do you miss the Capital?”

Instinctively, he wants to blurt out a denial.

But Hikaku has always been afraid that the clan will not be enough for him. That the opportunities offered by the daimyo’s court will seduce him away.

So this is a serious question, sombrely asked, and deserves a thoughtful answer.

“No.” he says slowly. “If I were at the Capital right now, I would be in the gardens, surrounded by courtiers and nobles from all over Hi no Kuni. There would be laughter, and gossip. There would be samisen music drifting on the breeze, played by whichever geiko is most celebrated by the court at the moment.”

“I would have to make obeisances to the daimyo and various members of his family, pay court to the higher ranked nobles, flirt charmingly with all the women but not give anyone grounds to question my behaviour, and watch for unspoken words and gestures in every movement.”

“Sake would flow freely and, towards the latter half of the evening, someone would inevitably propose that I take over the instrument in an effort to reduce me to entertainment. In turn, I would have to show that the Uchiha Clan is noble by performing something that would demonstrate my elevated tastes, be suitably obscure, and yet also thematically relevant to whatever the current issue is.”

He strokes Hikaku’s cheek with his free hand.

“Instead, I am here. With you, on the engawa of our house. The moon is growing full and the scent of the ume blossoms perfumes the night. The air is cool, and all the better to feel your heat. The only thing to pass my lips are your kisses, more intoxicating than any sake could ever be.”

He bends to claim another kiss.

“Though, if you wish for music, I can certainly provide. I do not think my fingers are so tired as all that.”

The smile his love bestows upon him is mischievous as their hands are moved to the obi of Hikaku’s yukata.

“I think… that the only instrument I wish for you to play tonight is my body.”

He bends forward again and allows the long fall of his hair to become a curtain that separates them from the world.

“As you wish. Yome.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is interested in the sakura mochi that Seto is planning on making for Izuna, you can find the recipe [here](https://www.justonecookbook.com/sakura-mochi/).
> 
> In my experience the anko filling generally isn’t liquid enough leak out and make the mochi look like it’s bleeding, so I have no idea how he plans to do that.
> 
> Seto uses the word ‘geiko’ rather than ‘geisha’ because it is older. Geiko, which literally means ‘child of the arts’, is still the term used to refer to geisha in Kyoto today. As someone who spent the early years of his life in an okiya, I figured he’d probably use the term with a longer tradition. Someone like Izuna or Hikaku would probably use the more popular ‘geisha’, while the Senju - as a clan composed primarily of the merchant class - would definitely use it.
> 
> The use of the word ‘samisen' rather than ‘shamisen’ is also deliberate as it is both written and pronounced as ‘samisen’ in several Edo period sources. The shamisen is a three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument derived from the Chinese instrument sanxian. It is played with a plectrum called a bachi.
> 
> Finally, the ukiyo-e print that Seto remembers is real.
> 
> It is _Plum Blossoms and Moon_ , from the album _Fuji in Spring (Haru no Fuji)_ and was created by Katsushika Hokusai during the Edo period in 1803 (Kyôwa 3). It is a Woodblock print (nishiki-e) on paper.
> 
> It’s in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, but is not currently on display. They have put it online though, and you can find an image of it [here](https://collections.mfa.org/objects/237861).
> 
> In his time, Hokusai was Japan's leading expert on Chinese painting. Born in Edo (now Tokyo), Hokusai is best-known as author of the woodblock print series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (c. 1831) which includes the iconic and internationally recognised print, _The Great Wave off Kanagawa_ , created during the 1820s.
> 
> If you know of any of his work, it’s probably that one.
> 
> I figured that, since his art was so famous, Seto was bound to have seen some of it in his time at the daimyo’s court.
> 
> And yes, I know this means that I have effectively placed the Founders Era not only in the Edo period, but also in the early 1800s. If anyone actually cares, this chapter takes place in the year 1824.
> 
> I can’t help but make my life harder it appears…


	23. Tanabata, Autumn - Seto (25)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleeping in is a privilege.
> 
> (That you are occasionally denied.)

Seto is sleeping.

Or, at least, he’d like to be.

If the noise that he can hear outside is any indication, he will not be allowed to persist in that blissful state for much longer.

He can make out the voice of Hikaku’s youngest sister, calling their names from the engawa.

Koibito, ever the dutiful older brother, makes to untangle them.

He resists.

No. Koibito is warm, the futon is comfortable, and there are no insects under the curtain.

Everything is perfect.

Hikaku’s sister can go away.

But she doesn’t.

She keeps calling. Now she’s yelling. Soon the neighbours will start to yell back.

With a groan he releases koibito. 

Koibito slides the shōji open.

“Yes, yes, I’m coming. Just let me find my sandals…” his voice trails off as he heads towards the genkan.

Seto closes his eyes as he prepares himself to sleep in for a little longer.

Until he feels breath on the back of his neck.

Instantly, he is completely and totally awake.

His breathing doesn’t change, he doesn’t move a muscle. He has no idea who is in the futon with him.

And then he hears a voice that he has come to love.

It is vastly annoying.

“Good morning, Seto-san! It’s a lovely day to make tanzaku!” Izuna-sama’s fingers creep under the neck of his yukata to stroke over his spine.

Normally, that would be erotic.

In this heat, it’s merely sticky.

He rolls over and grabs Izuna-sama with all of his limbs, wrapping him up like an octopus seizes prey.

This is revenge.

Izuna-sama squirms. “Get off! Let me go!”

He refuses. He rubs his stubble on Izuna-sama’s cheek. He rests all of his weight on his bedmate and pretends to snore.

Izuna-sama starts to giggle. He laughs and laughs until he can barely breathe.

He loves that they can have this now.

At the start of their courtship, Izuna-sama would barely let them touch if they were not in bed.

Hikaku has been allowed casual physical intimacy for years and, although Izuna-sama withdrew for a time, he was quick to allow it again once their courtship began.

Seto has had to earn the right, and he is always grateful for it every time that they touch and Izuna-sama does not tense or flinch.

That he is allowed to hold Izuna-sama like this, buried under a taller frame, completely surrounded and wrapped in a futon is a gesture of trust that he will always treasure.

It doesn’t mean that he has to give up though.

And he doesn’t, until Izuna-sama starts to whine.

He has become very familiar with that whine.

In the months that he has been bringing Izuna-sama bentos for his midday meal, he has had many chances to hear it.

If Izuna-sama is asked to eat when he is in the middle of an experiment, he whines.

If Izuna-sama is asked to leave the lab at a reasonable hour, he whines.

If Izuna-sama is presented with paperwork, he whines.

If Izuna-sama is given a vegetable he does not like, he whines.

It appears that Izuna-sama whines whenever his will is thwarted.

It should not be as adorable as it is.

Somehow, knowing that Izuna-sama is a responsible adult who chooses to deliberately engage in the most annoying behaviours of childhood makes it less disagreeable.

It seems to be a theme that Izuna-sama applies to life.

He works to appear as unthreatening and childlike as one of his stature and status could be, and yet performs all of his duties with the responsibility of an adult.

It is bizarrely charming.

He could never manage it himself.

Perhaps it’s a skill unique to Izuna-sama.

Still, the whining is hard to endure.

Fine, he will get up.

Izuna-sama is immediately cheerful again.

“Let’s go! I want to get the dew before it evaporates!”

He follows Izuna-sama out onto the engawa, down the steps and into the garden where Hikaku and his sister are carefully tapping leaves to collect the dew into a bowl that she is holding.

At the rate they are going, this will take a while.

He resigns himself.

He grasps some bamboo and indicates that Izuna-sama should bring his bowl.

As they work, he reflects on these two.

They are both Prey, yes. But Izuna-sama is 19 and Hikaku’s sister is 14.

She is already a little old for childish behaviour.

Were they still at war, she would have been pressed to train harder to ready her for the battlefield.

But Izuna-sama - a blooded warrior since he was 13 - also shares the same status as she.

It feels wrong to him.

They are trapped in this holding pattern only by Izuna-sama’s will and his insistence that he will not graduate to runner until he sees the sun rise on the Run.

Perhaps this autumn will see it finally happen.

Ah, it appears that they have another guest.

He can feel Senju-sama’s presence at the genkan and hurries over lest he disturb the other occupants of the household. Although that is extremely unlikely given how polite and correct Senju-sama’s behaviour usually is. Still.

He bows.

“Good morning, Senju-sama.”

Senju-sama also bows, with exactly the correct amount of deference appropriate to their circumstances.

“Good morning, Seto-san. I have come in search of Izuna as he was due in the lab with me a little before this, and I felt his presence at your house. I am sorry for the intrusion.”

“Izuna-sama is collecting morning dew for his tanzaku.” he explains, “the heat has meant that there has not been as much on the leaves and the activity has taken longer than we thought.”

Senju-sama looks thoughtful. “I have never done this. It has never seemed practical to me to create ink with dew when other forms of water are far more easily accessible. Perhaps I can help.”

He welcomes the assistance. “Then please do! We are working at the side of the house.”

He guides Senju-sama around the corner. “I always used well water for mine. I was not romantically minded.” he confesses.

Senju-sama smiles. It lightens his habitually sombre face. “I always created tanzaku out of tradition rather than as a sacrifice to the gods. It has always seemed to me that I should work for what I want, rather than attempt to bribe a celestial being who may take offence at my presumption.”

That is… a very practical and yet unusual perspective. Typical of Senju-sama, and yet completely unexpected.

Thankfully he doesn't have to reply because Izuna-sama throws himself onto his best friend.

“Tobi! Sorry you had to come find me!”

He tunes out the conversation and goes back to collecting dew but, as he is reaching for the next wet leaf, all the liquid on it lifts into the air.

It forms into a small transparent ball and then flies towards Senju-sama, adding itself to a rapidly growing sphere of water between his hands.

Soon, all the leaves are dry.

Senju-sama holds out the ball of dew like an offering.

Looking slightly awestruck, Hikaku’s sister holds out her bowl and the liquid is deposited in it.

There is more than enough drew for ink.

He claps his hands to break the moment.

“Now everyone must come inside for somen!”

Hikaku’s sister cheers. She loves his tsuketsuyu.

Senju-sama makes to leave.

“Senju-sama. I hope that you will do us the honour of sharing our meal.”

He bows again.

Senju-sama looks indecisive. Izuna-sama is always prepared to eat his cooking and grabs Senju-sama by the wrist, towing him into the kitchen. Senju-sama goes quietly.

Hikaku nods at him approvingly.

He holds out his hand and is pleased when koibito chooses to take it.

They go inside together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tanabata is based around the story of the star-crossed lovers, Princess Orihime, a beautiful weaver, and Hikoboshi, a cow herder. They lived on different sides of the heavenly river (represented by the Milky Way) and Orihime’s father (God of the heavens) became angry as both of them abandoned their duties because of their devotion to each other. He forbade them from seeing each other but Orihime pleaded with him and, as a concession, he allowed them to meet once a year. They are represented by the stars Vega and Altair.
> 
> This being 1824, Tanabata would have taken place on August 2. The average temperatures for Kyōto in August are 24°C to 33°C. It would have been cooler in the Kitayama Mountains north of Kyōto where the village is hidden, but I'm guessing it would still have been pretty hot. (If you want to know why I've placed Tanabata in autumn rather than summer, check out my end notes on chapter 3.)
> 
> Historically, children would wake up early on Tanabata morning and gather the dew from the leaves in the garden. This water would then be used to make ink for that day’s calligraphy on strips of paper (Tanabata wishes, known as tanzaku) which would then be hung on Tanabata trees made from bamboo branches.
> 
> Somen is one of the traditional foods associated with Tanabata. Thin wheat noodles, served cold with a sauce (tsuketsuyu), their string-like shape was a reminder of the Tanabata story - thread for the loom and koto strings.


	24. Tanabata, Autumn - Hikaku (20)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, love comes easily.
> 
> (Sometimes, it doesn’t.)

Hikaku is happy.

He has reason to be.

Izuna-sama has consented to hold his hand, and shujin walks just before them, holding the new baby.

Every time he sees the child, he’s grateful for the medical school that Hokage-sama created to bring the healers together.

The birth was hard, and it is only due to the shared expertise of both clans that the baby and her mother live.

It has been four months, and nii-san’s wife walks slowly beside shujin, supported, as always, by nii-san on her other side.

Perhaps, one day, he too will be a father.

If Izuna-sama agrees.

Izuna-sama likes children.

Even now, his smiles are given to the youngest of the children around them rather than the men who are courting him.

Hikaku does not mind.

It is one of the things he loves about Izuna-sama. His care for the youngest of them.

Instead, he looks around.

The market is busy and full of stalls.

The usual food stalls of course, but also stalls set up specifically for the festival, run by shinobi who only now have the leisure for such activities.

Peace has brought them this opportunity.

The Uchiha have always celebrated Obon - it is their duty to the ancestors - but arranging for a Tanabata Festival has not always been possible.

The autumns of his childhood have always been marked by war.

First, as a helper in the healing halls, waiting to assist injured warriors. Then, later, as one of the warriors reporting to the healers.

Autumn, for him, has always meant the boiled cloth of bandages, the stink of blood, the dust of the battlefield, and the cries of the injured.

There has been no glory there.

The civilians who talk of the glorious nature of war, are the ones who have never fought. Who claim no allegiances to a shinobi clan, but have only heard of war from myth and history.

None of the civilians around him would be so silly.

For all that the festival is filled with laughing children holding the hands of parents and grandparents, there are also many shinobi who have taken on new roles in civilian life due to the injuries that they carry. He can see many who are young enough to be on the battlefield, but will never lift a sword or fight as warriors again.

Perhaps, by the time his nephews are grown, everyone at Tanabata will be able bodied and those who are civilian will have taken up those lives by choice rather than circumstances. Perhaps Tanabata will have become an accepted part of autumn and no longer a novelty. Perhaps his nephews will associate autumn with the smells of fried food, the taste of sugar, and the feel of cool water as they use their hands to chase goldfish.

He hopes so.

Izuna-sama tugs on his hand.

“Look! Gyoza!”

He is towed over and waits as Izuna-sama cheerfully haggles for enough gyoza for everyone.

It is a large amount.

All of his siblings are here, and both Madara-sama and Senju-sama into the bargain.

Between the way his younger sisters will devour anything in sight, and the demands of five shinobi who were only this morning beating each other into the dust on the training field, he does not anticipate that he will receive more than a single piece. Maybe two.

Izuna-sama is busy distributing his purchases.

His sisters receive a plate each and are noisily grateful.

Nii-san and his wife share one.

Senju-sama accepts a plate, but immediately kneels down to offer it to his nephew. His nephew takes the offered chopsticks and starts stabbing at the gyoza. At three, his coordination is not the best and Senju-sama needs to assist him.

Madara-sama receives his plate with dignity, as is his due, and goes to help.

His sisters walk over to critique their efforts.

This will not end well.

He can already tell.

Izuna-sama turns and offers him a plate of his own.

There can be no hesitation.

He takes it with two hands, murmurs his gratitude, and uses the chopsticks in one hand to hold a gyoza to Izuna-sama’s lips.

It is accepted with a smile.

He does the same for shujin who eats it with great relish and a wink.

They eat the rest of the plate that way, alternating mouthfuls between the three of them, while Izuna-sama gestures with his hands as he explains how he intends to catch some goldfish for the koi pond at the house he shares with Madara-sama.

Hikaku wisely keeps his silence on the matter of the pond.

When all of the gyoza are gone, the whole family goes over to try their hands at Kingyo-sukui.

Izuna-sama offers him the poi but he declines - their house has no pond and he does not have time to care for a fish.

His youngest sister turns a pleading face on him.

He agrees to use a doton to make a pond at their parents house, but warns her that she will have to obtain the water for it on her own. She looks speculatively at Senju-sama - after the dew incident this morning, she obviously has an idea about who she can manipulate into helping her with that - and Izuna-sama smirks.

Shujin laughs at him.

He is used to it.

Instead, Izuna-sama takes his nephew by the hand and they go over to the fish together.

This will go even worse than the gyoza.

But is doesn’t.

His nephew is as badly coordinated as ever, and Izuna-sama guides him with a hand on the arm, but they should not be able to catch even one fish.

Instead, they catch three.

Somehow, the fish cannot escape them. Now matter how they try, a current of water in the pool always pushes them into the net of the poi.

Senju-sama is having an animated discussion with nii-san about some small animals that he wishes to obtain for experiments in the lab - a discussion that he is all too happy to avoid - but his hand is making a very small circle as he talks.

The current, where there should be no current, is moving in time with his hand.

His nephew holds up the fish and yells with joy. Izuna-sama smiles at him triumphantly.

He can’t help smiling back.

As his nephew runs to his parents so that they may admire his prize, Izuna-sama takes his turn at the poi.

He holds it just above the water, perfectly still.

It almost appears as though he’s not breathing.

No suspicious currents mar the surface of the water, and the fish dart about quickly.

And then he strikes.

His hand moves, and there is a fish in the net.

Izuna-sama has caught the medaka.

His smile feels like it has taken over his face. It is not his triumph to claim, but he feels like it is anyway.

Izuna-sama turns to show off his new acquisition to both shujin and he, and they congratulate him together.

The whole family, including shujin, gathers around to admire all the new fish and debate the merits of their new homes.

Izuna-sama is adamant that his koi will not eat his new medaka.

Shujin expresses skepticism - he has seen koi at the daimyo’s court eat smaller fish.

His sisters yell their disbelief and assert otherwise - koi eat goldfish eggs! Not goldfish!

Izuna-sama and his sisters begin to shout down shujin’s objections and he graciously allows that they may be correct after all.

Izuna-sama looks smug.

It’s a good look on him.

The clearing of a throat at his shoulder distracts him from the scene.

It’s Madara-sama.

He braces himself.

If this is going to be another conversation like the one from two autumns ago…

But Madara-sama looks sheepish. He rubs the back of his neck with a hand.

“Izuna is my only remaining brother. I’ve always protected him. And so have you. I’m sorry that I forgot that for a while.”

An apology from Madara-sama? He could not have been more surprised if Orihime and Hikoboshi had appeared in person in the sky to walk across the heavenly river.

“I understand. It was a shock. You had no warning of our intentions.”

Madara-sama nods but looks curious.

“May I ask, how long…?”

He laughs slightly.

“Since Senju-sama first showed the Hiraishin.”

Madara-sama is obviously doing some rapid mental calculations.

“But… that would be three years. So long?”

It’s true. The wait has been long, and he is still waiting.

But he waited longer for shujin.

And he is good at waiting.

“Yes. We love him.”

It’s a daring thing to say, but it is the truth and he has faith that Madara-sama will see it, Sharingan or no.

It appears that he is right, for Madara-sama rests a hand on his shoulder and they turn to look at Izuna-sama together.

Family and love.

It is all he could ever have asked for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gyoza was eaten in the Edo Period even though it only reached the popularity that it enjoys today after World War Two.
> 
> Kingyo-sukui is a traditional Japanese game in which a player scoops goldfish and was started in the late Edo period, around 1810. In those days, pois were made with nets, and it was a game played by children. Pois came to be made with paper and stalls were started in the Taishō period, around 1910.
> 
> Since I already established that Seto was at the daimyos court after 1803 and this chapter takes place in 1824, including it didn’t seem like a stretch.
> 
> Finally, medical schools did exist during the Edo Period and I am indebted to the thesis of Frandra Hiwat from the department of East Asian Studies in Leiden University for their very comprehensive description of medicine in the Edo Period and how it was influenced by western style medicine as well as Chinese and Korean doctors who had studied Chinese medicine to form a synthesis with traditional medical knowledge.
> 
> You can find their thesis [here](https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/42652/MA60%20Hiwat%200801348%20July%2015th.pdf?sequence=1).


	25. Tanabata, Autumn - Izuna (19)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, your life is changed.
> 
> (And you only realise afterwards.)

Izuna felt torn.

This was only the second Tanabata festival the village had held and he’d not bothered to write a tanzaku last year.

All part of trying to prove that he was an adult he supposed.

But, somehow, being included with Hikaku and Seto’s families had made him feel like it was okay to do the things his status as Prey allowed him to do.

So, this year, he had made tanzaku, caught a medaka, and admired the baby.

It was nice being part of Hikaku’s family again.

They’d been friends since they were kids, and he’d been in and out of Hikaku’s house until he was almost an adopted son. He’d called Hikaku’s mom obasan, and his dad ojisan. He’d eaten as many meals there as he’d eaten at home. Possibly more.

Breaking off all of that, when Hikaku’d become a runner and he hadn’t, had been hard.

They’d managed to put their friendship back together after a few years, but he’d never felt welcome to visit until after the village had been formed.

And then, it was like nothing had changed. Once again, he was welcome.

Welcome to the kitchen, welcome to sit around the irori, welcome to use the engawa instead of the genkan.

It was just after Hikaku had actually moved in with Seto’s parents, and he’d put it down to their wanting more company and uncertainty with life in the village amongst the Senju. Hikaku was the only shinobi in their family at the time and maybe they’d needed some reassurance.

So he’d visited. Taken advantage really. Nii-san is an okay cook, but he has nothing on Hikaku’s mom.

Her food is so good.

But being folded into Seto’s family had been new.

He’d known Kikiyo for a long time and her new role working for Hashirama-sama had brought them closer than ever.

But she’d started to treat him like family at the same time.

Hikaku had dragged him home after training one day and, somehow, he’d been just as welcome with Hikaku’s new family as his old family.

It’d been… nice.

But still family.

Not _romance_.

No matter what Hikaku and Seto have said, they’ve not been courting him for _three years_.

For a start, he’d have noticed.

For another, Hikaku would have asked for a lot more than a kiss last year.

He’d kind of wished that they had, actually. It would have been nice to know that his crush on Hikaku was reciprocated.

Instead of sulking about it for the last year, he could have been having sex.

He still hasn’t had an actual explanation about that. Seto wasn’t home, sure, but they could have _said something_.

So no, they have not been courting him for three years.

And the rest of the clan can stop smirking at him about it.

The courtship only started _this year_.

And it’s been interesting.

It’s funny how being courted has changed his life.

Hikaku and Seto had officially offered to court him last autumn and it has been just under a year since then, but he’s felt like one of them was there every time he’s turned around.

Ready with offers of food, company, physical intimacy, _family_.

They have touched him both in bed and out of it.

He’s had an invitation to their bed since the Run, and he’d taken them up on it when nii-san stopped expressing his disapproval quite so much in the spring.

It’d been… fun.

He’d never done any of that before, and they’d certainly made him feel wanted. Adored even.

Also, Seto’s mouth. Gods, if more of the clan had known about that, Hikaku would have faced much more competition than he already did.

But it’s the constant touches outside of bed that have really lingered.

A hand on his wrist that caught his attention, an arm that brushed his as they walked just that little bit too close, fingers that touched his cheek in farewell.

Small gestures, but full of meaning.

He could have done any of them with anyone else - Tobi for example - but they wouldn’t have meant the same things. What would have been comfort, is instead love.

He hasn’t wanted to look at them with the Sharingan yet, but he can tell the time is coming when he’s going to have to.

But that isn’t today.

Today they’re going to burn the Tanabata trees.

He can see his tanzaku fluttering in the breeze.

He hasn’t written a tanzaku since the last time he went to a Tanabata festival with Hikaku. Just after Hikaku Caught him for the first time.

As he looked at Hikaku’s face this morning, he could tell they both remembered that.

That year he’d written his wish was to become a runner.

This year, he’d wished for love.

Maybe, this year, it will come true.


	26. Obon, Autumn - Madara (21)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you aren’t as bad at household chores as people think.
> 
> (As long as it’s not laundry.)

Madara is cleaning.

Izuna didn’t want to get up this morning but, after being threatened with having his futon torched, he’s up and helping.

Obon begins tomorrow and everything needs to be clean to welcome the ancestors.

Izuna is grumbling about how everything would be so much faster with a suiton user and why can’t he get Tobirama to come over and help. Madara grabs him by the neck of his yukata when he tries to sneak out the front door.

“Izuna. Shut up. This is _our_ duty.”

He quiets down after that.

Honestly, Madara has always found cleaning - outside of laundry - meditative. The repetitive motions are soothing, and free his mind up for other things.

Izuna seems… lighter. Less burdened.

He knows that his choices have often made life harder for his last brother.

His refusal to let Izuna become a runner is probably the worst example, but there are others. He’s often angry and seen as unapproachable, leaving Izuna to be the friendlier option. The number of times Izuna has brought a problem to him that he never knew about cannot be calculated.

He speaks bluntly and is more likely to shout down opposition within the clan than negotiate. He can try, but - all too often - it ends up with shouting in the end anyway. Izuna is the cunning one who knows how people think, who can convince people to do things his way.

It was one of the reasons why convincing the clan of the possibilities of peace was so hard.

Izuna wasn’t with him.

He’s grateful that they now agree on most things and don’t fight anymore. Oh, small fights are common, but not big disagreements. When it gets bad, they take themselves off to the training field and spar until they feel better.

They haven’t had to do that as much lately.

Izuna’s happy. And, for that, he’s grateful to Seto and Hikaku.

Even if he won’t ever say it.

He lays out the plate of food on the family altar as Izuna lights the incense.

He thinks of their parents. He thinks of their lost siblings - nii-san, Kuro, and Togakushi.

When they come back, he hopes that they will approve of how their family is growing.

Well, he’ll find out soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to know more about how I’ve structured ancestor worship in this AU, you can find more information in chapter 26 ( _World Building - Why Butsuma is a Cockroach. Forever._ ) of _The World Building of Courting Culture Confusion_. It used to be _The World Building of Escape and Evade_ but it covers more than _Escape and Evade_ now.
> 
> If you want to know where the the names for their Madara’s and Izuna’s lost siblings came from, you can check out the notes at the end of [Debut by drelfina](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22099090) and [this post](https://keanblade.tumblr.com/post/190321741077/theory-about-madara-and-izunas-names) on KeanBlade’s Tumblr.
> 
> I have copied the relative ages of the siblings directly from KeanBlade’s Tumblr post, but used a mix of the names from both sources.
> 
> As such, they are named in order of the mountains from north to south:
> 
> Uchiha Taetaka (the same kanji as Mt Myoukou, 妙高, but a different pronunciation)  
> Uchiha Madara  
> Uchiha Kuro (their official name instead of Kurohime, which means “black princess”)  
> Uchiha Togakushi (戸隠, according to fineillsignup, there is a historical school of ninjutsu from the 11th century, 戸隠流, “the flow of the concealed door”, which shares the same characters)  
> Uchiha Izuna
> 
> Taetaka is the only child older than Madara. As such, Madara refers to him as nii-san, just like Izuna refers to Madara as nii-san.


	27. Obon, Autumn - Hikaku (20)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, something old can feel new again.
> 
> (It all depends on who you’re with.)

Shujin is lighting the lantern that okaasan is holding with a small katon before she takes it outside to hang in front of the house so that its light can guide the ancestors. Shujin then takes the cucumber horse and eggplant cow outside to place on the doorstep with some incense so that the ancestors can ride them home.

Hikaku has done this twice before of course, but this is the first year that shujin has been home to participate and it feels new again.

Otousan and he have been all over the house to clean everything in preparation for Obon while shujin and okaasan have been in the kitchen preparing a feast for the ancestors and the living.

He is grateful that they have food enough to spare for a feast. It was not always the case when he was young. Sometimes the ancestors had only onigiri when it was all that the living could offer. With peace has come prosperity, and they are now even able to offer sake.

The altar is prepared, and the cups of water and sake are carefully poured so that they will not spill. Fresh flowers are arranged, white chrysanthemums for purity and grief as well as higanbana to guide the dead through samsara. Mizunoko on a persimmon leaf, unagi from the Nakano, a small pile of dango, a plate of beautiful rakugan made by okaasan, a slice of watermelon, and two pears fill the rest of the altar before the incense is lit and they all bow in prayer.

These are not his ancestors but shujin’s. They did not birth him, but - with his marriage - they are his to care for and he will offer them all the respect they are due.

Still, he misses his family.

They are just a little way away. Still in the compound, not even on the other side of the village, but it feels like they are far away anyway.

He consoles himself that he will see them again soon, even if he does not participate in their preparations for Obon.

Shujin must notice.

“Koibito, we should visit your parents.”

He shakes his head. He gave up that right when he married shujin.

“It is not necessary. Nii-san and imouto-san can assist them with Obon. My place is here, with our family.”

Shujin’s hand cups his cheek tenderly.

“Hikaku. Yome. _You_ are my family. As my family is yours, so your family is mine. And once Izuna-sama accepts us, we will be _his_. Will we then give up the love that we feel for the families that bore us? Of course not. We will carry his line, just as Kikiyo will carry on the line of my parents, and your siblings will for your parents. That is all.”

Shujin’s lips are warm and a little moist as they kiss him on the forehead.

“A fire fed with fuel only grows. We offer Izuna-sama a place in our families as well as our hearts. I do not think he will demand that we cut them from our lives.”

Hikaku feels his heart lift.

Okaasan and otousan both smile at them.

And then okaasan pretends to swat him with her broom.

“Go! Go and come back safely.”

Shujin takes his hand and leads him towards the shōji.

“We’re leaving now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rakugan is a type of wagashi and that is made by pressing Japanese sugar, soybean flour and other fine powders in wooden molds. They often reflect seasonal, holiday, or regional themes. If you’re interested, you can find picture of some very pretty rakugan [here](https://www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/rakugan).
> 
> Apparently, it existed during the Edo period.
> 
> I’ll quote: _“In the Edo period, the Kaga Clan implemented extensive incentive measures for the confectionery business in its domain whereby, as a result, manufacturing techniques for rakugan has much progressed in Kanazawa City, and Choseiden (celebrated rakugan presently made in Kanazawa City) is one of the achievements of the time. Additionally, some say that, since hoshi-ii (dehydrated cooked rice), the key ingredient of Choseiden, was an indispensable food in military operation, the Kaga Clan's incentive measures may have been an excuse to maintain an adequate stock level of hoshi-ii for military preparedness.”_
> 
> _(https://japanese-wiki-corpus.github.io/culture/Rakugan%20(Confectionery).html)_
> 
> I have no idea when the tradition started, but I also included Shouryouma, representatives of spirit animals made from cucumber or eggplant, to ferry ancestors to and from the realm of the dead. The cucumbers are said to be horses, to bring them quickly, and the eggplants cows, to take them back slowly. Also, the cows are said to have more carrying capacity so that the ancestors can be accompanied by the offerings given by the living.
> 
> Eggplants reached Japan in about the 8th century ([as referenced here](https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/chronicaeggplant.pdf)), and early Japanese cucumber varieties were developed in Japan with cultivated varieties from China though I have no exact dates on that.
> 
> The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan has helpfully provided a Facebook post on this tradition [here](https://www.facebook.com/maffjapan.en/posts/cucumber-horses-and-eggplant-cows-in-japan-there-is-a-period-called-obon-during-/704173719755264/).


	28. Obon, Autumn - Seto (25)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you are interrupted.
> 
> (Because you have places to be.)

Seto is kissing koibito against one of the pillars of the engawa.

It’s been a just under a year since he returned to the clan permanently, and he is still not used to the idea that Hikaku is his.

His to touch, his to hold, his to kiss, his to make love to.

Hikaku has been his to love for many years, but always out of reach.

Now that koibito is within his grasp, he’s not keen to give that up - even for a night.

The skin under his fingers is warm and soft, the hair that falls against his cheek feels like the finest of silks, and the pulse that beats under his lips is a call that he cannot resist. He doesn’t even want to.

As he sucks a mark into koibito’s neck, he says “Yome.” just to feel koibito shudder under him.

He loves that he can provoke that reaction. He loves that Hikaku wants to be claimed as much as he wants to claim.

He feels Izuna-sama come up behind him and doesn’t stop.

There’s no reason to.

The lips that kiss the nape of his neck and the body that presses against his back confirm it.

And then Hikaku has to be responsible.

“You’re - ah! - going to be late…”

It’s moaned more than said.

He redoubles his efforts.

Let them be late. This is worth being late.

He wants to hear koibito’s voice again.

So he escalates to teeth.

It gets him the desired effect.

This time the moan has no words.

Good.

He can feel Izuna-sama’s laughter vibrate though his body. “So late. And Tobi is waiting.”

That acts like a bucket of cold water thrown over him. The fire of his ardor instantly cools.

Senju-sama is not a person to be crossed, no matter how polite he is.

Very well.

He straightens, eases himself out from between his lovers and tidies his clothing.

When he looks up, Izuna-sama is the one pinning koibito and kissing him into insensibility.

Oh, that is not fair.

He wants to go right back to them but a cleared throat and a polite ripple of chakra reminds him of the presence of his guest. He turns around and bows.

Senju-sama bows back. He looks uncomfortable.

In all the ways that matter, Senju-sama is now an adopted brother to Izuna-sama. Their bond is all the more remarkable for being formed from opposite sides of the battlefield. As such, he is welcome to use the engawa. But it’s only recently that he can be convinced to actually do it.

Before, he would stand outside the genkan and, rather than calling out, emit small ripples of chakra until someone came out to greet him.

Now, he does it outside the engawa.

For someone who has such a fearsome reputation, it’s oddly adorable.

Perhaps that is why Izuna-sama and he are friends. They share that odd dichotomy between their reputations and their actions in common.

Still, he’d best apologise.

“Senju-sama, I apologise for my lateness. I lost track of time.”

Senju-sama casts a fond look at Izuna-sama.

“That is fine. You are not the only one to make us late, and it is good to see Izuna happy. You and Hikaku-san make him happy. I welcome that.”

He bows again.

Oh dear. This is not something to be thanked for.

They love Izuna-sama. His happiness is their happiness.

Before he can figure out how to explain that without embarrassing both of them, they are thankfully interrupted by the person they are discussing.

Izuna-sama comes over, dragging koibito by the wrist.

“Hey, Tobi. Tell Hikaku he can come.”

Koibito is already shaking his head. His voice, when he speaks, is both loving and scolding.

“Izuna-sama, my presence has not been requested. And you know better than to bring along an uninvited guest.”

Izuna-sama is irrepressible.

“But it’s Bon Odori! It’s not like a visit to someone’s house - it’s a festival!”

That is true. But it is also the first time that the Senju have invited Uchiha to their Obon celebrations.

Obon for the Uchiha is usually intensely private, celebrated primarily by family, with only the Okuribi made public. This will be the third Obon since the village was founded and the Uchiha still have no idea how the Senju celebrate Obon. Until he was invited, he had no idea the Senju even included Bon Odori as part of their celebration.

Bringing along an uninvited guest seems… impolitic.

But Izuna-sama’s will is irresistible. Even, or perhaps especially, to Senju-sama.

For he bows to Hikaku and says “All are welcome this night.”

So they all go.

They follow Senju-sama into the Forest of Death, the domain of Hokage-sama. Hikaku is nervous but covers well. It is only given away by the fluidity of his steps and the way he stands partially in front of Izuna-sama as if to make a shield of his body. Izuna-sama appears to have no fear of the trees and says nothing about Hikaku’s behaviour, a kindness on his part.

Senju-sama leads them into a clearing where Madara-sama is already waiting for them.

“You’re late.” he says censoriously to Izuna-sama. “And I can see why.” His eyes track the marks on koibito’s neck unerringly. Koibito blushes charmingly.

“Totally not my fault!” squawks Izuna-sama, “It was Seto-san! Those are his!”

Madara-sama’s eyes flick over to him and he affects his most innocent look and shrugs. Madara-sama raises an eyebrow at Izuna-sama.

“I bet not _all_ of them are his. I bet that at least one is _yours_.”

Hah!

The squabble between the brothers is interrupted as Hokage-sama raises his hands on the other side of the clearing.

“Tonight we celebrate the return of our ancestors and welcome them to back to the world of the living! Tonight we celebrate all of the Senju, dead and alive, as well as those we have bound to us. Tonight, we welcome the Uchiha in the persons of Madara, Izuna-kun, Seto-kun, and Hikaku-kun. Let us join together and dance, just as we have joined together to form this village.”

Everyone yells their approval. Many of the Senju stamp their feet and clap.

Then Tōka-san lets out a high piercing note and Hokage-sama brings his hands together, fingers interlaced.

The ground starts to move, to ripple, and a small sapling pulls itself from the earth.

It grows.

And grows.

Until, in a few minutes, there is a full grown oak tree in the middle of the clearing.

All of the Senju except Senju-sama surround it. Senju-sama stays with them.

A shakuhachi begins to play and people start to beat on upturned sake barrels.

And then Tōka-san begins to sing.

He recognises the song. It’s 'Yagi Bushi’. He starts to laugh.

As Tōka-san calls everyone to listen, introducing herself in a self-depreciating fashion as a poor singer, and then proceeds to make fun of herself with every word that comes out of her mouth, Izuna-sama doubles over with laughter.

It only gets worse when she seamlessly shifts into ‘Donpan Bushi’ and starts to boast about how Senju sake is the best in Hi no Kuni and their premium product will put anyone on the floor.

Hashirama-sama nods enthusiastically and mimes drinking an entire barrel by himself.

Madara-sama is roaring with laughter now.

Tōka-san continues on to describe various members of the clan and how they behave when they are drunk.

As they surround the tree and dance, she points out individuals by name and they mime the actions that she describes.

They are treated to a Senju who protests that he did not actually lose the arm wrestling match the way she describes, Ichika-kun who cheerfully acts out taking a single drink before falling asleep and snoring, and Mito-hime who springs onto a branch and pretends to dance drunkenly.

Senju-sama is not dancing, but, when she names him, he obligingly spins a stream of sake out of a nearby barrel and twirls it in the air before setting it on fire with a spark of raiton.

Even Hikaku’s famed control has broken. He’s sitting on a sake barrel and gasping for breath while he cries with laughter.

He could never have imagined this.

These are not the stoic serious Senju, fierce warriors all, that he saw on the battlefield before he left for the Capital.

This is a family.

Laughing and happy, celebrating their achievements and recounting embarrassing stories about each other.

They act just like his family do when they meet to celebrate or even just for a meal.

It appears that Izuna-sama was wrong when he said that this would not be as intimate as visiting someone’s house.

It’s actually more.

The invitation, Hashirama-sama’s words… they are invited to become family. As Hashirama-sama says the village is family.

He feels privileged.

Tōka-san finishes her song with a large gulp of sake for herself and sits down to breathe heavily.

But the drumming does not stop.

Instead the rhythm changes. It picks up. It gets faster and faster until Mito-hime lets out a loud yell and the drumming stops.

All at once, several of the Senju bend over and stretch out a hand in front of them.

Then a samisen picks up a driving tune and she yells again.

They straighten up and their hands begin to mimic the movements of fish.

The drumming begins again, just as fast as before, and the Senju who are dancing bend over like they are gathering fishing nets.

He recognises this song too. It’s ‘Soran Bushi', a song about catching herring. These must the the Senju who can claim Uzumaki heritage. He had no idea there were so many of them.

And then, as the Senju lean sideways to pull their imaginary fishing nets into their imaginary boats - the nets are no longer imaginary.

Golden chains erupt from their hands.

Nets of gold to fish for a dream of a far away home.

Suddenly the words of the song make more sense.

_‘If you ask the seagull, "Have the herring come?", "I'm just a migrating bird; ask the waves”.’_

These are the migrating birds who are no longer near the shore.

For love, they have joined with the Senju, and are no longer Uzumaki. They, or possibly their parents, are far from the sea that gave birth to their line but, with this, they still welcome their ancestors to the world of the living.

This is a secret the Uchiha have never known.

They all knew that Mito-hime is an Uzumaki princess, with all of the ninjutsu that implied, but they never knew that any other Senju could make the Adamantine Sealing Chains.

It was a weapon that they never used on the battlefield, but have chosen to share in the name of family.

This makes Madara-sama’s invitation all the more important.

When the song is over and Mito-hime moves to one side to sit down and rest, he joins her.

He bows deeply.

“Mito-hime, I am honoured with the trust that you and your clan have shown us.”

Hair falling out of her signature buns, paper seals limp with sweat, yukata askew, she is more disheveled than he has ever seen her. He smile is brilliant with happiness and laughter.

She looks like a queen.

And is as shrewd as one.

Tonight has bound them closer than anything short of a marriage alliance, and how likely would that be?

The Uchiha must show an equal amount of trust.

“Madara-sama wishes to extend an invitation. Tomorrow night, the Uchiha will send our ancestors back to the Pure Lands and we wish for Hokage-sama, Senju-sama, and yourself to attend. Please honour us with your presence.”

She reaches out and touches his shoulder, her fingers pressing lightly to encourage him to rise.

“We will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, there’s a lot of notes for this chapter!
> 
> The idea of Tobirama spinning out a stream of sake and setting it on fire with a spark is an adaptation of the idea of Tobirama fire dancing with gasoline from [You Must Not Fear To Blister](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22054789) by trulywicked
> 
> The first song that Tōka sings is Yagi Bushi, and you can find out a little about it [ here](https://www.komuso.com/pieces/pieces.pl?piece=1043). The upturned sake barrels are mentioned there as a unique feature of the song.
> 
> I chose not to use the lyrics about the gambling boss - although they would have been pretty appropriate with Hashirama’s canonical love of gambling - because Chūji Kunisada wasn’t born until 1810 and his famous gambling den wasn’t built until 1846 - too late for the song featuring stories of his life to have become famous by the time of this story.
> 
> But, since several long ballads are sung to this melody, I searched until I found [ this version](https://sci.lang.japan.narkive.com/COr8sDEP/yagi-bushi) posted on a forum, which I adapted for Tōka.
> 
> Through Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, the Smithsonian has kindly provided a version which can be heard on YouTube [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WLxBZTwzSE). It’s sung by a man and not a woman, but I’m sure your imaginations are up to it.
> 
> The second song that Tōka sings is Donpan Bushi, and you can find out a little about it [here](https://www.komuso.com/pieces/pieces.pl?piece=603).
> 
> The version that they describe has lyrics that are all about sake - both making it and consuming it - and, using it as inspiration, I made up my own version that seemed to fit the comical lyrics, but was specific to the characters in this story.
> 
> The fact that I could tie the two songs together using the sake theme was just the icing on the cake.
> 
> Donpan Bushi is actually used for Bon Odori, and the U.S. Army Garrison in Japan has helpfully [uploaded a video](https://vimeo.com/46026979) of a lady they say is a Bon dance master doing dance training for Bon Odori.
> 
> (I had no idea that the U.S. Army Garrison in Japan took Obon seriously enough to train their soldiers for Bon Odori. Learn something new everyday I guess!)
> 
> You might notice that Yagi Bushi comes from Gunma Prefecture in the Kantō region - where I've located the Land of Iron, while Donpan Bushi comes from Akita Prefecture in the Tōhoku region - the Land of Lightning in this AU. It shows just how well travelled the Senju are, and the familial alliances that they claim from all over the Elemental Countries.
> 
> The final song, sung by Mito, is Soran Bushi, and you can find out a little about it [here](https://www.komuso.com/pieces/pieces.pl?piece=2486).
> 
> I have no idea if Kishimoto originally intended Uzushio to be anywhere near Hokkaido - the maps of the Naruto world that I found don’t actually seem to correlate to Japan - but that’s where I’ve located it in this AU and the allusions to fishing and migration in the lyrics were irresistible.
> 
> In fact, the Uzushio in my head serves a very similar function to the real world artificial island of Dejima (Japanese: 出島, "exit island") in the bay of Nagasaki. Just as Dejima was the only place designated for foreign trade and exchange during the historical Japanese Edo period - it was a trading post for the Chinese, the Portuguese and then the Dutch - Uzushio is the port that serves as the entry and exit for the Elemental Countries to the rest of the world.
> 
> So travel and migration would be a big thing for them.
> 
> You can see the dance that Mito and the Uzumaki descendants perform [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_ZxTFxD380).
> 
> In the video, you can see the moment when the dancers make the gesture that I use for the reveal of the Adamantine Sealing Chains in my story at the one minute mark.
> 
> If you want to know more about where I've located the various Elemental Countries and why, you can check out chapters 64, 65, and 71 in _The World Building of Courting Culture Confusion_.
> 
> Finally, a shakuhachi is a Japanese and ancient Chinese longitudinal, end-blown flute that is made of bamboo. It was originally introduced from China into Japan in the 7th century and reached its peak in the Edo period. The oldest shakuhachi in Japan is currently stored in Shōsō-in, Nara.


	29. Obon, Autumn - Izuna (19)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you dream.
> 
> (Of your sister.)

Izuna is thinking about their lost family.

Specifically, he’s thinking about Kuro-hime.

He remembers Kuro-hime telling him that him that she was actually a girl, born into the body of a boy, and swearing him to secrecy. Thrilled that his nii-san was actually a nee-san, he’d agreed immediately.

He was so young that the memory is blurry, but he does remember it.

He started calling her Kuro-hime when they were alone after that.

He’s not sure if nii-san ever knew. He’s certainly never said anything.

It’s the one promise to Kuro-hime that he’s kept to this day.

Last night he dreamed of Kuro-hime. She was the same age as when she died - and wasn’t that strange to see his nee-san younger that him - wearing a beautiful red yukata covered with a pattern of white chrysanthemums.

She didn’t say anything, but the way she'd smiled at him made him think that she was happy.

He’s glad that she can go back to the Pure Lands, happy in the knowledge that her family and clan are doing well.

He hopes that her twin Togakushi nii-san and their oldest brother Taetaka are equally happy with them.

They didn’t visit so there’s no real way of knowing, but no bad reactions generally mean things are okay.

Still.

“Nii-san? I dreamed of Kuro-chan last night.”

Nii-san looks surprised.

“Really? I haven’t dreamed of anyone. Not in the three years since we formed the village. I expected otousan at least but there’s been nothing.”

Huh. So, for the first Obon in three years, they’ve been spoken to - well, not spoken - and it’s Kuro-hime?

He shrugs.

“Well, it’s their choice right?”

Nii-san nods.

They’re making up the wooden boat of their offerings and nii-san is carefully adjusting the leaf containing the sliced melon - it was their mother’s favourite - so that the boat won’t tip over and spill everything into the river. He adds a white chrysanthemum for Kuro-hime and red camellias for otousan, Taetaka nii-san and Togakushi nii-san.

Usually, red camellias would stand for ‘You are a flame in my heart’ and be a courting flower, but they have a different meaning for warriors - particularly at Obon.

They mean a noble death.

While most flowers begin to wilt and lose their petals one by one, the camellia loses its bloom all at once as the head of the flower falls directly from the stem. A more vivid illustration of death in the prime of life, he cannot imagine.

As an offering for three of their family who were killed by the Senju, one of them before they even reached full adulthood, it’s appropriate.

He’s glad that none of them appear to be unhappy that their family is now allied to the clan that killed them.

Or, at least, not unhappy enough to complain about it.

Taking up their fully laden boat, he follows nii-san out the door and towards the gate of the compound.

There they meet with all the other Uchiha and begin the slow walk to the river.

Hikaku is walking with both of his families since Seto is guiding Hashirama-sama, Mito-hime, and Tobi. He’s carrying the boat for Seto’s family, and his brother is carrying the boat for his parents.

Every family has a boat.

Not all of them are wood like theirs, some are paper, but every family has one.

As they walk, he sees children carefully balancing boats in their hands or on their heads. But, mostly, the children are carrying the cucumber horses and eggplant cows.

Nii-san is carrying their horse and cow. The children run up to him and show off their versions. Nii-san nods and says approving words over each one before they run back to their parents.

He hopes that none of them trip and stab themselves on one of the senbon legs.

There are enough horses and cows to make a large herd once they reach the river bank. It’s a good sign. It means that most people can afford to buy the vegetables at the inflated price the market charges for them during Obon and sacrifice them for the ancestors. Or they took advantage of the quiet to grow them.

It’s just another way that peace has brought them wealth and comfort.

Autumn never used to be a quiet time.

Now autumn doesn’t mean war anymore.

It means cucumbers and eggplants instead.

He doesn’t usually think about the past, generally preferring to focus on the present, but at Obon it’s unavoidable.

The dead are all around them, in everything they do and say.

It’s impossible not to think about the past when he can still feel the kiss of Kuro-hime’s lips against his forehead. It’d felt like a blessing, a gift for the future.

He hopes it is.

When they get to the river, nii-san carefully places their horse and cow on the water’s edge and all of the children arrange theirs around his. The herds are even larger than he thought. The ancestors will have many mounts for their ride back to the Pure Lands.

Once everyone is happy with the placement of their vegetable animals, he wades into the river and floats their boat. It balances nicely and doesn’t tip.

All around him, other Uchiha do the same and soon the river is filled with boats. One child, too young to be a runner, is almost up to his neck before he releases his boat to the current.

As one, they all light their boats with the smallest katon they can manage.

Civilians make do with candles, but they are a shinobi clan and every family that has a shinobi does it with a katon.

For as long as their strength holds, or until the boats float out of sight, their katon will stay alight and their boats will not be consumed by the flames.

A sacrifice of material things, flame, and strength.

Their clan is large. Not large enough to perform the Manto ceremony - ten thousand lights is too much for them to muster - but they are more than enough to create a Sento ceremony. More than one thousand lights shine defiantly against the dark, a beacon to light the way back to the Pure Lands for the ancestors.

As the boats slowly move downstream, everyone wades out of the river and Tobi moves quietly to his side.

Hikaku has his arms around Seto’s parents in comfort, while Seto is staring after their boat, concentrating hard on keeping his katon as small and tightly contained as possible. Katon is not his best skill, an irony for the head diplomat of the Uchiha, but an inevitable consequence of the way he was trained. Kikiyo is tucked under his arm and strokes his back soothingly while murmuring reassurances.

“I didn’t know that the Uchiha did this.” Tobi says in his low voice. “I knew that you came to the river every Obon, but it was too private to intrude upon.”

“Well, now you know. Now you see.” He’s about to continue, when the child who was almost too short to release a boat lets out a cry.

The flame of his katon is licking his paper boat.

He’s about to lose control of it.

He and Tobi exchange a look.

As Tobi makes a subtle gesture with his hand, he kneels down beside the little boy.

“Come now, deep breaths.” he says. “Calm yourself, and the flame will calm as well.”

They run through a few rounds of deep breathing together until the boys parents let out a gasp and point.

A mist is rising over the surface of the river.

The current is moving faster too, carrying the boats through the mist towards the bend where they will be out of sight.

“See?” he says, “The ancestors will follow the boats and the lights. Your boat has reached the mist. It’s safe to let it go.”

The boy releases the katon with a gasp and bends over, hands on his knees.

He pats the child’s back with repetitive calming motions until his breathing goes back to normal. Then he lifts the boy into the arms of the father who is waiting to receive him. He’s a little old to be carried, but he’s exhausted and almost asleep.

He recognises this family now.

They’re civilians, weavers if his memory is right. Their son must be the first child in their line with enough chakra to become a shinobi and he followed the tradition of lighting their boat with a katon.

As the family walks away, he allows the Sharingan to surface in his eyes so that he can store the memory for the future.

Good memories are important, he’s come to realise. They keep the Uchiha stable.

Also, the child’s will power is impressive. He makes a note to recommend the boy to Hikaku for further training.

As he turns to look for Hikaku, he sees them.

Seto and Hikaku, standing together. They’re not watching their boat.

They’re watching him.

And he sees it.

On their faces.

_He sees it._

The love that he worried wouldn’t be there. The love that he was too terrified to look for. The love that they have so persistently and patiently offered him.

It is his.

Looking back at him from the faces of the men he has come to love.

_They love him and it is **true**._

He panics.

He moves back to Tobi.

“Thanks for your help with the boats.”

Tobi smiles gently.

“It was no trouble at all. I was glad to offer my assistance. You know that I like children.”

He does. Tobi will be a great father one day.

Even if he has to foist an orphan off on his best friend himself.

As they fall into a discussion about the boy, he notices nii-san looking at them speculatively.

That’s… admiration on nii-san’s face.

Faint, but it’s there.

Hm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It might seem like 1000 family lines is a lot for the Uchiha Clan, but it’s actually not that large a number for a group that is successfully practicing endogamy, particularly one with an extremely high mortality rate.
> 
> Historically, academic studies have focused on 500 people as a sort of average number for the survival of an endogamous group, but more recent studies have shown that 500 is actually more like a minimum number and any group with 500 or less is really on the border of extinction.
> 
> That’s the point where people have to either give up taboos like incest or start marrying outside the group.
> 
> Since we all know that the Uchiha Clan grows in cannon and becomes a large and thriving part of Konoha, I figured that they’d need way more than 500 people.
> 
> Also, they can’t _all_ be shinobi or there would be nobody to do anything except fight.
> 
> Currently, less than 0.2% of Japan’s population in the military. That’s obviously a huge underestimation for a shinobi clan, but even the USA which has the highest military to civilian ratio only had just under 1% of their population in their military 1985.
> 
> Add that to the historical fact that the samurai class were an elite and highly restricted force during the Edo Period and you can see that the Uchiha were probably not even _mostly_ shinobi. They were probably mostly _civilian_. Or at least a bunch of shinobi lines sheltering a bunch of civilian families within the Uchiha Clan.
> 
> So I’ve made a random guess that about 20% of their clan were shinobi - based on gut instinct and nothing more, if anyone can find me more publicly accessible information about the proportion of samurai to civilians in the Edo Period, I’d be very grateful - which means that the hundreds of shinobi you see on the field in the Warring Clans era would be every single fighter their clan could field unless it was enormous.
> 
> Which makes sense considering that several of those fighters were child soldiers. Like Madara and Izuna.
> 
> So take 200 people as 20% of the clan, and you get 1000 individuals exactly.
> 
> Since that’s still fairly small for a successfully endogamous population, especially one with a such high mortality rate, I used that as the number of family lines instead.
> 
> In my head, the clan is actually about 5000 people, with almost everyone being younger than 60, and - now that there’s peace - there’s going to be a big population boom as everyone keeps having babies like there’s still a high mortality rate even though there isn’t anymore. They’ll slow down with time, but the next generation is going to be a big one.
> 
> I’m indebted to Professor James F. Eder’s paper on the Batak of the Philippines for his comprehensive summary of populations sizes in endogamous societies, and you can find it [here](https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft5s200701;chunk.id=d0e6195;doc.view=print).
> 
> I once studied this stuff, but couldn’t find many publicly accessible sources and didn’t want to have to plow through my old anthropology notes for the papers that I photocopied lo those many years ago so I’m glad he put his paper up on the internet.
> 
> EDIT: I found an article that says that 10% of Japan's population between the 12th and 19th centuries was part of the warrior class, but there were no citations. If that's true, then my 20% guess was closer than I thought!


	30. Almost Time to Run (Again), Autumn - Izuna (19)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you experience a change of perspective.
> 
> (Sometimes, that’s all it takes.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place the night before the the Run described in chapter 6 of _Escape and Evade_ , _Time to Run (Again)_.

Izuna is nervous.

Why, he has no idea.

It’s been a year, or almost, since Hikaku and Seto offered to court him and everything in his life has changed.

When they’d offered, he’d grabbed it with an eye to getting Hikaku. He’d been interested in Hikaku for a while and the idea of actually having him… well. Seto was mostly an afterthought if he was going to be totally honest.

That didn’t last long.

Then, when it turned out that they were actually going to _romance_ him… why not? It was fun, if mildly embarrassing, and he was enjoying himself.

And somehow, without him ever really noticing, they’d folded him into their family so seamlessly that he’d found himself almost married without realising it.

He’s at their house more than he is at home.

He sees Seto’s parents as much as he sees nii-san.

He calls them his boyfriends in public and his lovers in private.

In fact, Tobi - the least romance minded person that he knows - uses the term.

He nearly fell over in shock when Tobi asked if his lovers were going to bring them bento for lunch the last time they were in the lab together. They’re so much a part of his life now that his best friend assumes their presence in his work space.

Tobi! Who hasn’t even noticed that nii-san has a crush on him!

Though nii-san hasn’t noticed it either.

It’s pretty funny, actually, watching nii-san fumble his way around the office without actually having any idea why he feels awkward while Tobi continues on, oblivious to any undercurrents.

Thank god it’s only a crush.

More… would be bad.

Hikaku thinks it might be more, and is worried.

Seto’s with him and thinks it’s amusing. They both agree that Hikaku worries over everything.

Which doesn’t mean that he might not be right.

Something to keep an eye on, for all of them.

And now he’s relying on them to help make sure nii-san doesn't fall in love with an unattainable person!

They’ve taken over his brain. It’s got to be the only explanation.

He’s always wondered how Hikaku seduced Seto.

They weren’t close before Seto left, Seto never came back, they communicated entirely through letters, Hikaku never went to the Capital, Seto’d been offered courtship by nearly everyone in their generation who was actually interested in men, and he was constantly surrounded by nobles whose primary thoughts were about how to make a beautiful impression.

How the hell had Hikaku done it?

Now he knows.

Like _this_.

Just by being there, constantly offering love at every turn, treating him like family, like a husband.

They’ve made him fall in love with them.

And he doesn’t even regret it.

So he’s in love with two men who love him, and he’s nervous as hell about the Run tomorrow night.

Why?

He has no idea.

He just knows that this whole thing feels out of his control and vaguely threatening.

He knows that he’s clung closer to Tobi than ever in an effort to get away from it all but it hasn’t been working.

They’re there too.

In the lab, feeding him and Tobi. In his house, talking to nii-san. Inviting him into their house, telling him to use the engawa, and steal wagashi right off the kitchen table! Seto says it tastes better that way, and Hikaku literally put one in his mouth with his fingers!

The intimacy is almost unbearable.

Now they’re here, all sitting around the irori and drinking sake, stuffed full of food, with a pot of green tea and the rest of the wagashi that Seto made this afternoon on a plate.

Nobody has any manners. Everyone is eating untidily with their fingers and Hikaku keeps brushing powdered sugar off his lips. He’s going to lick those fingers in a minute and no one except Seto will even notice.

He knows that Seto will smile at them with a hunger that’s not for food.

He’ll be in their bed tonight and he knows that too.

He looks forward to it.

But first, Seto’s mom pulls out the samisen and Seto laughingly protests as she presses it on him. Nope, he’s not getting out of this one. His mother will not be denied. She’s the sweetest, gentlest, and most polite okaasan he knows and he’s never seen her fail to get her way. In anything. She has a will of iron underneath that demure mask.

She gets what she wants this time too.

Seto smiles and agrees, pulling the instrument into his lap as he moves to sit seiza. His mother sits up too.

Everyone else is still sprawled all over, even Hikaku’s parents. In fact, he’s pretty sure that Hikaku’s sisters are actually asleep.

But that all changes when Hikaku’s mom starts to sing. She calls out an opening and Seto starts to play. This is not a song that he knows.

It appears to be about a family travelling on a ship and their adventures. Wait, it’s actually about a geisha? Apparently so.

He settles in to enjoy himself. Seto’s mom is only about a decade or so from being an elder, but she sings well and uses gestures to tell the story. Everyone has woken up and is paying attention now.

And then, just as the music stops, she points at him and says “That young man who's just come in, isn't he good-looking? I try to talk to him, but he runs away.”

Ack! No!

He rolls off Hikaku’s lap in an effort to get away, but Hikaku traps him and won’t let him up. He’s stuck as the whole family laughs at him.

Hikaku’s sisters and Kikiyo are leaning on each other, they’re laughing so hard.

Hikaku’s brother is bent over his wife who’s curled up into a ball on the floor around the baby, both of them shaking with laughter. Their son has no idea what’s so funny but is laughing along because everyone else is.

Hikaku’s parents are crying they’re laughing so hard.

Seto’s father is the only one not laughing. Instead he toasts them all with a cup of sake and downs it all in one go. 

That’s worse.

Hikaku is smiling down at him fondly.

Thankfully, Seto takes mercy on him and starts a new song. This one he knows - it’s “Tsugaru Aiya Bushi”.

Seto’s mom takes up the song again, and Hikaku’s sisters start pretending to dress like they’re about to get married. They’re dunk, totally uncoordinated, and falling all over themselves.

It’s hilarious.

He laughs as hard as anyone.

When the song finishes, everyone lies back down to take a breather.

He guesses the music is over.

But he’s wrong.

Because Hikaku looks at Seto and says “Shujin. Please? For Izuna-sama.”

And Seto smiles at them both, and picks up the bachi again.

This time, there are no words.

There don’t need to be.

It’s not a story to be told, or a tale to be sung.

It’s magic.

From a slow start, the music builds into a complicated driving rhythm that he can’t separate out from the notes. There’s no drum, no voice. It’s just Seto and the samisen.

He’s known from intimate experience that Seto’s fingers are nimble and clever, and that his callouses are subtly different from those of every other shinobi that he’s ever known, but he had no idea that Seto could do _this_.

Seto’s face is still and calm, but there’s a faint smile on his lips as he concentrates on the spell that he’s weaving.

With fingers and an instrument, Seto holds them all enchanted, barely breathing.

He’s beautiful.

It’s a display of musical prowess that makes him want Seto more than ever.

The fingers that produce those sounds.

He wants them on his body. Now.

He’s on fire with wanting.

As soon as the song is over, Seto bows over the instrument as the whole family cheers and toasts him with sake.

He doesn’t even wait for them to be done.

He grabs Hikaku’s wrist in one hand, and drags him over to Seto.

With his other hand he cups Seto’s cheek and tilts his face up.

Those lips that have made so many promises… he takes them.

They want to be his?

Tonight he’ll make them his.

He grabs Seto’s wrist in his other hand and pulls them both out of the room, leaving the samisen abandoned on the tatami, to the sound of the family’s hooting and encouraging calls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, there’s a lot of music in this chapter so you get lots of links!
> 
> The first song that Seto’s mother sings is Kagoshima Han'ya Bushi, and you can find out a little about it [here](https://www.komuso.com/pieces/pieces.pl?piece=3000).
> 
> Once I saw the translation, I knew I had to have her make the joke at Izuna’s expense. Seto and Kikiyo get their twisted and slightly salacious senses of humour from her. Seto gets his love of bawdy jokes from his dad - their mom would never be so crude.
> 
> And, of course, it’s an allusion to her time as a geisha and how, at the end of all her travels, she’s come home to this family, this clan, where she can try and snag her son a handsome husband.
> 
> Even if he runs away - in the Run even - she won’t give up. And everyone, including Izuna, knows that she always gets what she wants.
> 
> He might as well stop running now.
> 
> This is her - very classy - version of a shovel talk. He’s family now and he’d better accept it.
> 
> You can see a lovely lady play and sing the song [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wlvgt6rtrRw).
> 
> The second song that she sings is Tsugaru Aiya Bushi, and you can find out a little about it [here](https://www.komuso.com/pieces/pieces.pl?piece=170).
> 
> There’s a wonderful video of what looks like a family playing it [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzpeCuKFSnY), and I specifically modelled the family party in this chapter on it, with all three generations sitting around and having a marvellous time making music together while also laughing at each other’s antics.
> 
> Finally, the song that Seto plays is “Tsugaru Sansagari Kyokubiki”. It’s actually an improvisational piece so it never sounds exactly the same way twice. You can find more information on it [here](https://www.komuso.com/pieces/pieces.pl?piece=3293).
> 
> Of all the versions that I found online, the closest to what I imagine Seto playing can be found [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4Vsptm301w).
> 
> You might notice that the songs are from outside of Kansai which is the Land of Fire in this AU. Kagoshima is on Kyushu Island and Tsugaru is part of the Tōhoku region - the Land of Lightning in this AU. That’s deliberate. It’s an allusion to the backstory of this family which is much more well travelled than the rest of the Uchiha and occasionally brings home mission babies. They also marry outsiders more often than the rest of the clan, which contributes to the way they’re viewed as unusual.


	31. About to Run (Again), Autumn - Hikaku (21)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, sex is more than it seems.
> 
> (But not more than it feels.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place the afternoon before the the Run described in chapter 6 of _Escape and Evade_ , _Time to Run (Again)_.

Hikaku is preparing.

Last night was amazing.

He’d never felt anything like it.

Izuna-sama was… incredible.

He’d lain awake long after Izuna-sama and shujin had fallen asleep, Izuna-sama’s head on his shoulder and shujin’s leg thrown over his - such a contrast from the winter when he’d woken up pinned by shujin and reflexively thrown his husband out of the futon.

Now he sleeps soundly, even under both of them.

He trusts them with his life, even at his most vulnerable, just as he trusts them with his heart.

It wasn’t what they’d done that was different. Every act was something they’d tried before, although perhaps not in that exact configuration. Or setting.

Hearing their families yell approval and reminders to keep the noise low from outside the bedroom as they went to bed was a new experience, certainly.

Normally, something like that would have made Izuna-sama break off with laughter. Perhaps even roll off the futon giggling. But he ignored it completely.

Instead, he was completely focused on them.

On their reactions to him.

Usually, Izuna-sama is happy to be between them. To be loved and adored as they seduce him and show him how much they cherish him.

Last night, he was aggressive and wanting, pinning shujin to the futon and taking him with lust as much as love.

The way he’d held shujin down by the wrists, leaving Hikaku to defend them both even as they rode the peak of pleasure together is a memory that arouses him still.

It was only when Hikaku had gentled him with soft touches and kisses that he’d calmed enough to be receptive to advances, to be loved into tenderness.

Only when Izuna-sama was no longer flame but embers, did he stoke the fires of passion in both of them again and take his own pleasure in Izuna-sama’s body as shujin touched them both, guarded them both.

So he’d lain awake and worried.

Was it something they’d done? Upset him somehow?

But then he’d realised that it was the exact opposite.

Izuna-sama wasn’t pushing them away.

He was claiming them for his own.

It gives Hikaku hope.

So today he has prepared.

Madara-sama and Izuna-sama have, together with Kagami-kun, somehow convinced Senju-sama to play Prey again - although a less likely Prey he would be hard pressed to imagine.

As such, Madara-sama will be taking all the senior members of the clan off to the Forest of Death to try and bring Senju-sama to bay, like a pack of wolves hunting a single buck.

The rest of the Run tonight will be the responsibility of his second in command, who will take charge of all of the junior runners and organise them as they attempt to hunt the rest of the Prey. They will delay longer than normal to give the Prey a head start, as well as allow Madara-sama’s team to isolate Senju-sama.

The rules this year have been changed to allow for the use of the larger types of ninjutsu - something that has always been previously discouraged in the name of keeping the Run covert, but which is no longer necessary - and no one wants to get caught in whatever Madara-sama will unleash.

To be perfectly honest, he’d rather leave Kikiyo oneesan in charge but - once again - she has refused to Run. She is more than competent, but says that she has had enough of pursuing shinobi in her regular line of work, and that Hokage-sama is the most challenging Prey that anyone could possibly chase so she would rather save her energy for that.

It’s hard to argue with her.

So his only target tonight is Izuna-sama.

He has been marked for shujin and himself alone. All of the clan knows this.

They will hunt him. They will Catch him. And, if he allows, they will claim him and ask to be claimed in return.

Perhaps tomorrow he will have a new husband.


	32. Time to Run (Again), Autumn - Seto (26)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you have to pursue what you love.
> 
> (Sometimes, you don’t.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: This takes place during the Run described in chapter 6 of _Escape and Evade_ , _Time to Run (Again)_.

Seto is running.

Hikaku and he have been on the heels of Izuna-sama since the second gong sounded to release the runners.

There are some runners who deliberately delay, allowing the Prey more time to gain distance so as to increase their chances of escaping.

They are not that noble, and neither is Madara-sama.

All three of them left the compound like the ground under their feet were on fire, Madara-sama to lead his team towards the training field where Senju-sama is waiting, and they to pursue Izuna-sama towards the river.

Straining their sensory abilities to their limits, they strive to keep track of the man who has chosen to play Prey for them tonight.

By any standard in the clan, Izuna-sama is Prey for no one.

But he has chosen to claim this role as his own, for reasons that pass all understanding, and no one can convince him otherwise.

As such, he is theirs.

No one else in the clan is to pursue him, and they have made that perfectly clear.

Either they will catch Izuna-sama tonight, or no one will.

In both cases, someone will benefit.

If Izuna-sama evades pursuit until sunrise, then Izuna-sama will have fulfilled his own, personal, conditions for graduating to become a runner and perhaps he will give up on this idea that he must be Prey.

If he does not, they will have Caught him. And they will offer themselves to his claim.

So the stakes are high, and they are not playing fair.

After a year of courtship, they are all very familiar with each others tricks when it comes to combat.

From his movements, Izuna-sama is clearly making an effort to muddy his trail but not a serious one. He knows that Hikaku will be able to track him, even with his best effort.

So these are merely delaying tactics.

Izuna-sama also appears to wish to stay at the very edge of their effective combat ranges.

This makes sense also.

Hikaku uses kunai, shuriken, and senbon to great effect, but they are all mid-range weapons. He relies on his doton to attack from a greater distance, and Izuna-sama is well aware of how to avoid that.

Izuna-sama also knows his own tendency to come as close as he can without detection before attacking. When it comes to combat, he is primarily an assassin, and his techniques reflect this. His katon is by far the weakest of his skills and he will certainly not be able to attack Izuna-sama with it from any effective distance that will not also bring him into the reach of Izuna-sama’s blade.

As such, Izuna-sama’s decision to stay as far away as possible is a good strategy. At that distance, his ninjutsu will reign supreme and they will be unable to close with him.

What Izuna-sama has failed to take into account is that they know _him_ as well as he knows _them_.

Specifically, they know how he and Senju-sama plan together.

A week ago, Seto caught one of the younger Prey trying to pickpocket him.

At first, he’d though the aim to be theft, but then realised that the youngling was actually tying to leave a seal in his clothing.

Recognising that it was probably not harmful, he allowed the attempt to pass, and feigned ignorance.

Once alone, he’d examined the seal.

Seals are a particular interest of his, and - while he does not have anywhere near the knowledge or experience with them as Senju-sama or Mito-hime - he managed to read this one.

It was a seal to causes paralysis and drain chakra from the one who it was applied to, and triggered by a specific pattern of chakra which enabled it to be activated from a distance.

From there, it was clear what Izuna-sama and Senju-sama were planning.

If he was as noble as the Uchiha Clan proclaims itself to be, he would have gone at once to tell Madara-sama of his discovery and allowed him to plan for it.

He is not that noble.

Prey are encouraged to work together, to assist each other to escape.

Runners are not.

Each runner does the Run alone.

There have been stories of runners who fought each other over Prey and, in so doing, allowed the Prey that both desired to escape.

It is usually told as a cautionary tale.

In this case, they will use Izuna-sama’s trick against him.

Last night, as Izuna-sama lay sleeping, he affixed the seal between the layers of Izuna-sama’s mantle.

As long as he is within their range, they will have him.

As long as they can pursue him, he is theirs.


	33. Time to Run (Again), Autumn - Izuna (20)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you are caught.
> 
> (It’s not what you expected.)

Izuna is breathless.

He’s crossed the river twice in an effort to make himself harder to track, but - as expected - Hikaku is having no trouble catching up to him.

It’s still early in the night, but it’s probably time to make sure they know to keep their distance.

The Forest of Death has been sealed off by Mito-hime, but there is still lots of room to play and the trees here by the river grow tall and strong.

Also, he’s less likely to start an accidental fire.

He positions himself with his back to an enormous tree so that Seto won’t be able to Catch him from behind like he did last year, and expands his own sensory abilities.

They’re nothing on Tobi’s, but he can still feel Hikaku and Seto closing in on him from opposite directions, obviously trying to catch him in the middle and pin him between them.

As soon as they come into view, he raises his left hand and creates tiny flames on the tips of his fingers. He makes the flames ripple mockingly, and both of them back off immediately before he couches down to slam his palm on the ground. All around him, a circle of flame spins into existence before leaping for the sky.

It’s a beacon, a sign to all who would hunt him this night.

He is here, and he is not easy Prey.

They used to be limited in the amount of ninjutsu they could use on the Run so that they wouldn't alert the Senju, but that’s not an issue anymore.

With Tobi in the Run, all the Senju know that something is going on.

It’s not just Hashirama-sama who’s curious, and - after what Tobi is going to unleash - they’re going to have a _lot_ to be curious about.

He cackles at the thought. 

His pillar of flame is only the start.

And, as expected, he can hear the distinctive sound of nii-san’s giant sea of flames roaring over at the Academy.

He rolls his eyes.

Of course nii-san went for the Fire of Annihilation.

His own lovers are smart enough and wary enough to stay on the other side of his barrier, and they obviously intend on waiting him out.

The joke is on them, because he can keep this up all night.

He has chakra to _burn_ and he _will_.

He feels Tobi’s chakra approach and wash over him.

It’s watery and cool, like feeling a ripple of water over his head as he sinks into a pond on a summer's day.

It makes it hard to concentrate on his flames, but he doesn’t allow himself to waver.

Tobi must be about to activate the seals.

Neither Hikaku nor Seto will be affected.

He’d told the Prey not to try and sneak any seals into their clothing, and he’d personally placed a seal on each of them through skin to skin contact about a week ago.

But Tobi knows that this is personal.

Just between them.

Their own private dance.

If anyone is going to seal them, it will be _him_.

But he doesn’t think he’ll have to.

And then he falls over.

What the _hell_.


	34. Time to Run (Again), Autumn - Hikaku (21)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, your efforts are rewarded.
> 
> (With an opportunity.)

Watching their beloved Izuna-sama collapse when they cannot reach him is difficult.

As soon a the barrier dissipates, Hikaku is over by Izuna-sama immediately and checking for injuries.

He is a field medic, and qualified enough to make sure that Izuna-sama has not hurt himself in any way.

Thankfully, nothing has happened.

Apart from Izuna-sama being paralysed and unable to speak.

His eyes communicate his outrage very well though.

Hikaku cannot help but smirk.

It appears that Izuna-sama did not anticipate being under the power of his own seal tonight.

Now they only need speak the words.

“Yield?” he asks for both of them. “Blink once for yes, and twice for no please.”

There’s a long hesitation.

And then they are rewarded by a single long blink. Izuna-sama’s lashes are so long that they cast shadows over his cheeks in the moonlight.

He is beautiful.

And theirs.

They have Caught him.


	35. Not Running Anymore, Autumn - Izuna (20)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you have to take a risk.
> 
> (Sometimes, you can’t run anymore.)

Izuna is stuck.

Paralysed.

He can’t move a muscle, can’t even speak.

He’s vulnerable, defenceless. 

He should be furious.

But he isn’t.

Instead, he feels… safe.

Calm.

Hikaku and Seto have split up, one on either side of him, and they’re facing outwards. He’s in the middle, the protected position. They’re ready to defend him against anything that might come at them.

It reminds him of all the times that Hikaku has Caught him.

Hikaku’s been chasing him since he turned 12 and Caught him every year, except for two - the year Hikaku was away, and the year nii-san lost patience with his yelling and put him under a genjutsu. So this will be the seventh time that Hikaku has caught him.

And, in all of those years, Hikaku has always, always, taken responsibility for him.

That first year, when Hikaku buried him up to his chin in dirt and he’d refused to yield, he’d honestly thought that Hikaku was going to leave him. He’d had some ideas about digging himself out actually, and been angry that he wasn’t going to have a chance to try them.

On the other hand, he’d felt safer with Hikaku there. Being left alone, defenceless against any Senju child killing squads that might be out, would have been awful.

So he’d been glad to have Hikaku’s company until sunrise, even though they’d had a screaming fight about it.

Glad enough to take Hikaku’s offer of attendance at a Tanabata festival instead of a sparring demonstration, even though he hadn’t yielded.

Their next year had been a repeat, and then nii-san had gotten fed up with his refusal to yield and put him under a genjutsu.

After that, he’d given up on not yielding, and he’d given himself up to Hikaku as soon as he was Caught.

And it wasn’t bad.

He’d been given reasonable choices - attendance at a tea ceremony performed by Hikaku’s youngest sister (ugh) or an introduction to a healer for Seto’s father and mentor.

And the next time Hikaku had Caught him, he’d been offered a choice between teaching one of Hikaku’s team ninjutsu or a kiss. Then attendance at a travelling show in a nearby village or another kiss. The next year, they’d both offered him kisses again and he hadn’t even waited to hear the other option before he’d grabbed at it with both hands.

Literally.

He’s noticing a pattern here.

So when Tobi appears in a flash of light - why must the Hiraishin always be so _bright_ \- ready to defend both himself and Izuna, he’s only mildly exasperated.

Hikaku and Seto both back off immediately, hands raised to show they have no aggressive intentions. In fact, they move to the other side of the river, leaving him entirely in Tobi’s hands.

Tobi crouches down over him, but keeps a wary eye on them. The seal is released and he takes a deep breath. It’s a relief to be free again.

Tobi’s voice is even deeper than normal. “Are you hurt?”

He shakes his head. “No.”

Tobi moves on to the next obvious question. “Did you yield? Do you require rescue?”

He smiles. “I yielded, and no rescue necessary. They Caught me, they earned it.”

Tobi nods. “Very well. I apologise for accidentally paralysing you. The seal that somehow made its way into your clothing was actually marked as one given to the younger Prey. The ones they were supposed to secrete upon the persons of the junior runners. I have no knowledge of how it came to be in your possession.”

He wants to laugh but restrains himself.

Bad enough to have been Caught in a trap that he helped to make, worse to giggle about it.

Still, he looks over at his lovers. “I have some ideas about that.”

Tobi touches his wrist lightly. “Do you wish me to stay?”

So Tobi has noticed how he’s been used as a safe space after all. Funny how he’s so oblivious to romantic relationships, but observant enough to notice things like that.

Still, it’s not necessary.

Not anymore.

He’s not nervous.

He’s not afraid.

He knows why he felt threatened before, now.

He was worried that it would all be taken away again. He was worried that he wouldn’t be enough for them.

He was worried that they loved him, but didn’t _see_ him.

Well, now they’ve seen him. They’ve seen him at his most vulnerable, as his weakest.

If they’re going to leave, now’s the time.

He needs to know.

So he allows his Sharingan to spin to life in his eyes and he turns his hand over to grip Tobi on the wrist as Tobi grips his wrist in turn.

They’re good.

He says so.

“No. I’ll be fine alone with them. You should go. I know you have responsibilities.”

Tobi nods, and they let go of each other. The flash of the Hiraishin announces his departure.

And ruins Izuna’s night sight.

Again.

Blinking spots out of his eyes, he turns and walks towards the men that he loves, possibly for longer than he’s known.

The men who say they love him.

Well, it’s time to see.

If love is true.

For all of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, chapters 32 to 37 of this story occur at the same time as chapter 6 of _Escape and Evade_.
> 
> Since it’s been a while, and there may be some confusion about how the two plot lines intersect, I’ve put together a mini omake so you can see exactly what is going on in both locations at the same time.
> 
> You can find it in _The World Building of Courting Culture Confusion_ (previously _The World Building of Escape and Evade_ , but I changed the name since it’s covering more than _Escape and Evade_ now) under chapter 72: _World Building - The Run with the Paralysis Seal_.
> 
> Be aware that it’s just a brief summary with some quotations so anyone who is interested can track exactly which parts of each chapter the script is up to.


	36. Not Running Anymore, Autumn - Seto (26)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you have to offer your heart.
> 
> (And your life.)

Izuna-sama walks on the water towards them but stops just short of the shore.

He’s no longer outraged. He looks calm.

“Where is it?”

Seto knows what Izuna-sama means and he gestures towards the front hem of Izuna-sama’s mantle. “Between the lining and the outer layers.”

Izuna-sama bends down, rips open the stitches, and pulls out the seal. He examines the paper carefully, seemingly checking it for something before he smiles faintly. Then he holds it in the palm of his hand and burns it until it is nothing but ash before blowing on the ashes to allow them to be lifted away on his breath.

The flame is black.

It is the smallest and most delicate use of Amaterasu he has ever seen.

A warning not to underestimate the man they love.

They don’t.

Izuna-sama is wildfire and will never be tame.

They may have Caught him, but he will never be theirs unless by his own will.

When they Caught him last year, they asked only for the chance to persuade, and they have done their best all year.

They will make the offer and he will choose.

If he says no, they will try again next year.

And they will keep trying until he either accepts, or rejects them utterly.

Because they love him too much to give him up.

Izuna-sama comes close but does not step onto land. “Hold out your hands.” he asks, and they do.

His will is theirs.

Palms up and the vulnerable insides of the wrists exposed, their lives are his if he wishes.

But he only takes their hands, one for each of them. Hikaku’s right and Seto’s left, the ones they typically use for ninjutsu and not weaponry. He turns them over and, at the touch of his fingers, seals light up on their skin.

Izuna-sama laughs lightly. “I placed seals on you too. You just got to me first. Or, well, Tobi did I guess. That was clever, using him against me.”

He exhales a small katon over their hands, each in turn, and the seals crack and break up into light that fades away.

Now they are all free.

“So, I guess you have something to ask me?”

They do.

Hikaku speaks, slow and measured, calm and controlled. “We offer intimacy and favour. For favour, we ask that you allow us your company in friendship for another year. For intimacy, we ask that you wed us and take us into your household.”

Izuna-sama looks to him. “And you, Seto? What do you offer?”

He shakes his head. “Hikaku speaks for both of us in this. We are of one mind, and one heart. And that heart cries out to belong to you.”

Izuna-sama thinks, his thumbs rubbing the backs of their hands where he is still holding them.

Izuna-sama trusts them with his life, his body, and his reputation. He even trusts them with his heart.

He loves them.

They have seen it.

But does he trust them with his mind?

The mind which is so clever, so quick, as keen as the blade he wields so well, and as wild as the fire he commands. The mind which demands that he be better, be more, and never lets him rest. The mind which gives all for the clan and holds nothing in reserve for himself.

They would be his home, his refuge from the strain of the world, if he would let them.

The choice is his.

They watch his face as he comes to a decision.

“I choose intimacy.”

He steps off the water, onto the shore, and into their arms.

They gratefully close around him.

His voice, when he speaks, is muffled against them, but it is still clear.

“But I don’t want to live with nii-san.”


	37. Not Running Anymore, Autumn - Hikaku (21)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you are surprised.
> 
> (By the unexpected.)

Hikaku is surprised.

He jerks back but they are all so close that he cannot see Izuna-sama’s face properly.

He has to duck slightly, and push hair out of Izuna-sama’s face in order to make eye contact.

“Truly?”

He’d always assumed that they’d move into Madara-sama’s house. It is where Izuna-sama lives after all. Once wed, they will be part of his line. Surely they will live with him.

Izuna-sama shakes his head. He’s smiling. His happiness is beautiful.

“All year, you have folded me into your families. All year, you have offered me, not just romantic love, but also familial love. I want that. I want to live with you. In your house, with your parents.”

Hikaku is thrilled.

He will be able to keep his families!

But shujin looks uncertain.

“I do not think that my parents will wish to become part of your line, Izuna-sama. You and Madara-sama are the best of us, but you are warriors and our line is… not. It has not ever been. When Hikaku and I first agreed to pursue a courtship with you, my parents and I came to an agreement - I would become part of your line, and Kikiyo would carry on their line. It is her children who will care for them in death, not mine.”

Izuna-sama looks surprised.

“I never knew this. Hikaku married you. He lives with you. You call him yome.”

Shujin laughs. In the moonlight, he is as ethereal as a spirit but so much warmer.

“We filed the papers for it too! But we never performed san-san-kudo. He is of my household, but we are not truly wed. We have saved that for you. Because we already knew that we loved you.”

Izuna-sama looks disbelieving. “No.”

Hikaku smiles down at him. “Yes.”

Izuna-sama flails between them. “Yes? Just yes? That’s it? That’s all you have to say?”

Now he is laughing. “Yes.”

Izuna-sama throws up his arms in exasperation. “Fine! Then you can be part of my line, and I will marry you both. We can do san-san-kudo together. But I want to live with you. Both of you, and your parents, and your siblings. I want the house filled with laughter and family that you showed me.”

He shakes a finger at them. “And don’t think I didn’t notice that you’ve been treating nii-san and Tobi like family too! They use the engawa now! You just wait until nii-san wants to yell at me early in the morning, and then he’ll slam open the shōji and drag me out of the futon while threatening to set it on fire!”

Not even that idea can dim his happiness. “Then he will be welcome to do so.”

He cups Izuna-sama’s face between his palms and draws him in for a kiss.

“But first, may we take you to bed? Goshujin-sama?”

Izuna-sama shudders in shujin’s arms.

“You may. Yome.”


	38. Omake - A Prophecy Fulfilled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you are surprised.
> 
> (By your in-laws.)

*Sun has risen just past the tops of the trees, dawn light spills over the world*

Madara: *climbs the engawa angrily* IZUNA!

Madara: *punches the paper of the shōji, nearly breaks his hand as the barrier seals activate* IZUNA! GET OUT HERE! I CAN TELL YOU’RE IN THERE!!!

Seto: *slides open the shōji, yawning* Madara-sama? Izuna-sama told us you would do this, but I didn’t think it would be on his first day as our husband.

Madara: IZUN- wait. What? You got married?

Seto: Yes. Last night.

Madara: I DIDN’T APPROVE THAT!

Seto: You said that we could ask to marry him.

Madara: I DID NOT - no, wait. I did. But I didn’t say you could get married!

Seto: No, that would be Izuna-sama’s decision.

Izuna: *yelling from the futon* AND I SAID YES! SO WE ARE MARRIED!!!

Hikaku: *also from the futon* Please don’t yell, goshujin-sama. You’ll wake okaasan and otousan.

*silence, morning birdsong*

Madara: *blusters* Well, I need to talk to him! His best friend is an asshole!

Seto: *crosses his arms, bars the way* Yes?

Madara: He’s too clever to be allowed to live! I’m amazed that he isn’t dead yet!

Seto: Alright.

Madara: And Izuna needs to be thrown in the koi pond! Today!

Seto: I fail to see how Senju-sama is Izuna-sama’s fault…

Madara: *shoves Tobirama’s fur in Seto’s face* TELL IZUNA TO GIVE THIS BACK TO THE BASTARD HE CALLS A BEST FRIEND OR I WILL SET IT ON FIRE!!!

Seto: *catches the fur* This is… unexpected.

Seto’s mother: *comes around the corner of the engawa and bows* Madara-sama. So good of you to visit our humble home. But it is a little early in the morning isn’t it?

Madara: *awkwardly* Ah, yes. Um. Uh, sorry for the intrusion.

Seto’s mother: *pointedly* Oh no, _family_ is _always_ welcome.

Madara: *even more awkwardly* … Thank you?

Seto’s mother: *takes Madara by the hand and leads him away* Now, come to the kitchen with me. You must be hungry after staying awake all night…

Madara: *being pulled along, yelling back* TELL IZUNA I’M STILL ANGRY WITH HIM!!!

All the neighbours: Shh!

Madara: … sorry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place between chapters 7 and 8 of _Escape and Evade_.


	39. Lunar New Year, Spring - Izuna (20)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family.
> 
> (Is a gift that can be offered. Again.)

Izuna is happy.

Their house is full of family.

Seto’s mother - she insists that they are not his parents since he’s not part of their line, even though he lives with them - is sitting close to the irori, and gossiping furiously with Hikaku’s parents.

He can sense a conspiracy there.

Hikaku’s sisters are playing a hand game with Hikaku’s nephew and letting him win every other round to encourage him to keep going.

Kikiyo is off to one side, the perfect picture of a demure kunoichi, except for the way she’s engaging in a drinking contest with her father.

Hikaku’s older brother is holding his wife and stroking her hair as they watch their family.

Just like he is watching his family.

Because Hikaku and Seto are holding the baby.

She’s grown.

It’s as if every time he sees her, she gets a little bigger. Even if he only saw her a week ago.

Seto is holding her over one shoulder trying to convince her to burp. He’s patting her back, but she’s refusing to do anything. Hikaku is behind him, and ducking down to make faces at her. She keeps reaching out to grab at his hair.

They look like a family.

They’re _his_ family.

His husbands.

They haven’t done san-san-kudo yet, they’ve had other things to do, but their household is his household now.

He wakes up every morning on Hikaku’s shoulder, and it’s the most comfortable pillow that he’s ever had - even if he has to massage Hikaku’s arm afterwards because the nerves are asleep.

He eats Seto’s cooking every morning, and the simple meal of rice, miso soup, and pickles has never tasted so good. He doesn’t know if Seto does something special to it, or if it’s the pickles Hikaku’s father makes, but Seto’s mother always smiles and says that it’s because the meal is made with love.

She promises that it will taste even better when they can eat every meal on the engawa once the weather warms.

It’s only been two seasons, and he still feels thrilled when Hikaku calls him goshujin-sama. Seto calls him Izuna-sama.

Neither of them will call him Izuna, no matter how he asks.

Not even in bed.

It’s surprisingly erotic.

But then, everything is with these two.

Every time he moves, he can feel his kimono shift over the bruises Seto’s teeth left on his shoulders last night as he was ridden to pleasure while Hikaku knelt in front of him and took both of them in hand, kissing him all the while.

He’d held onto Hikaku’s shoulders, biting at the pale neck, deliberately leaving marks, even as he’d felt those strong calloused fingers, surrounding them both, so vulnerable…

And then Hikaku had whispered that he’d wanted to be claimed, marked by the seed of his _husband_ …

Well.

He’d reached his peak a lot sooner than he’d planned, he’ll put it that way.

He’s never had to do laundry so often in his _life_.

Oh, they’re bringing the baby over. He rearranges himself hastily to hide his arousal.

And… Seto is passing him the baby.

He’s held kids before of course, kids are fine. Even toddlers. You can talk to them, and they generally understand what you’re trying to say. You can play games, and their needs are both fairly simple and obvious.

Babies are different.

They’re wiggly, and squirm, and you have no idea what they want. It’s a guessing game with really high stakes, and terrible consequences if you guess wrong.

They cry.

It feels like the worst kind of failure. He broke a _baby_.

It’s awful.

So babies make him nervous.

Okay, he can do this.

She’s not so small actually, he can hold her upright, she doesn’t need her head supported or anything. He’s seen her crawling around on the tatami, and using chests to support herself so she can stand up.

She’s not as fragile anymore.

She looks at him with huge black eyes. Wow.

And then her face scrunches up.

Oh no.

That’s the ‘I am about to cry on you’ face.

He braces himself.

And… she lets out an enormous fart.

He has no idea what his expression is saying, but everyone seems to think it’s hilarious.

Nii-san especially, considering the way he’s doubled over with laughter and gasping for breath.

She smiles at him and grabs a handful of his hair.

It’s amazing.

He made this tiny person happy.

She likes him.

He can’t stop staring at her.

He reaches out with a finger and touches her nose.

She goes cross eyed trying to stare at it.

It’s adorable.

He moves his finger away and her eyes track it. Side to side, and she tracks that too. He moves it in a little circle and she turns her head to follow.

And then, fast as lightning, her other hand reaches out and grabs it.

Nice reflexes kid.

He wiggles his finger experimentally. Nope, she doesn’t want to let it go.

Good grip too.

Hm. 

This is not as hard as he’d thought.

He looks up and both of his lovers are smiling at him.

He knows those smiles.

He’s seen them all year, every time one of them invited him anywhere, gave him anything, or suggested something new in bed.

It’s their ‘we have something for you and you’re going to like it’ smiles.

This is how they made him fall in love with them.

They gave him love and he couldn’t help but return it.

Now they’re going to give him a baby?

Well, he does like kids, and babies are kind of an essential stage in the life cycle.

So he holds the baby tighter, and snuggles her gratuitously just to watch their smiles broaden.

Let them persuade him to like babies, just like they persuaded him to be their husband.

He’ll take anything they care to give him.


	40. After the Run (Again), Spring - Izuna (20)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you have no idea what you’re seeing.
> 
> (Sometimes, an independent person can offer a new perspective.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place just after chapter 16 of _Escape and Evade_ , _After the Run (Again) - Madara & Izuna_.

Izuna is worried.

Nii-san’s crush looks like it’s getting worse.

After the incident with the kids on the way to the Academy, he’d kind of figured that nii-san would sort himself out. Nii-san had obviously realised that he was infatuated - hilariously late - and he’d figured that nii-san would do something about it.

But he hadn’t. Instead he’d done nothing.

Nothing except to continue sitting in the office day after day, trying to act as normal as possible, only nicer.

Well, now Izuna knows why.

Nii-san has been trying to wait for Tobi to come to him.

Tobi! Who doesn’t even see people as objects of sexual desire!

He might as well have been waiting for a chair to proposition him!

Nii-san is a disaster.

At least that’s been sorted out, although being grabbed by Hashirama-sama to talk to Tobi about nii-san, then given a message by Tobi for nii-san, and finally having to tell nii-san that’d he’d been running an experiment on about a fifth of the clan - including himself - would not have been his first choice on how to do it.

Still, it’s done.

So now Tobi knows that nii-san is not going to do anything weird or go crazy or whatever he was worried about, nii-san will hopefully look at Tobi with the Sharingan and figure out that he’s not an option, and everything will go back to normal only they’ll be friends.

Right?

Hikaku is giving him a very dubious look at this. He obviously doesn’t agree.

Seto is more thoughtful.

“What? Did I miss something?”

Hikaku shakes his head in despair.

“Madara-sama will not give up so easily.” he predicts. “You, who have always put the clan before yourself, could bring yourself to renounce love. Madara-sama cannot. He puts his love for you above his responsibilities. He will do the same for Senju-sama.”

He disagrees. “It’s not love! It’s a crush! An infatuation! He thinks Tobi’s attractive and admirable! Which he is! It’s not _love_.”

Now they’re both looking at him pityingly.

“What!”

“You… are not the best at recognising romantic love, Izuna-sama.” Seto says delicately. “You did not realise that we were courting you for many years before we Caught you together.”

That’s still a sore point.

They say they were courting him since Hikaku asked for a kiss that first time, but he doesn’t agree.

Hikaku didn’t behave like he was courting. He didn’t try for romantic touches, or give gifts, or anything. He’d seen Hikaku with Seto’s family - always there with gifts or offers of assistance, constantly showing his efforts to care, to be worthy of being invited into the family. He’d never seen Hikaku do anything like that for him or nii-san.

In fact, Hikaku had behaved just like he always had. Friendly. Because they were friends.

Their touches were all friendly touches. He’d never gotten a romantic gift. He’d been treated like another sibling by both of their families.

Hikaku had been _married_. To _Seto_.

He’d given Hikaku his first kiss, yes. But it had been gentle. Tenderly done, but without passion. Taken with affection, not lust.

Their second kiss had been even less of a courting gesture. It had been claimed with lips that were still bruised from Seto’s kisses.

There could have been no clearer way to show that those lips were not his.

It had felt like a rejection.

He’d hated it.

To ask for a kiss and then use it to demonstrate what he could never have… it had hurt.

And they’ve never explained why.

Why kiss him and then treat him like family? Why kiss him and never explain anything?

Until they do, he won’t believe them when they say they’ve loved him for years.

They love him now, that he knows.

It’s enough.

This is an argument they’ve had many times since they’ve come together. There’s no point having it again.

He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, releasing his frustration with it.

“That doesn’t matter. You think nii-san is in love with Tobi. Both of you?”

They both look frustrated but nod. Seto, in particular, looks like he want to have the argument again but he waves them off.

“Okay, I’ll take your assessment as true. Then what? If nii-san won’t give up on Tobi, but Tobi doesn’t fall in love with him - what happens then?”

Hikaku shakes his head slowly. “Nothing good. I cannot see any way this will end well.”

Seto looks speculative. “Is Senju-sama truly so indifferent? He shows no signs of romantic or sexual attraction to anyone at all?”

Huh. That’s a good point.

“He did blush when talking about nii-san’s chakra. He said it feels warm, but not uncomfortable. The worst thing he had to say about it was that it’s intense when nii-san is angry, which is understandable. But otherwise, he seemed completely focused on nii-san’s role as Hokage. They could be friends - they’re almost there already - but I don’t see how they could be lovers.”

“If Senju-sama can feel sexual attraction, even if he does not currently direct it at Madara-sama, it could be a bridge to more,” Seto points out. “If he can be brought to feel that Madara-sama is worthy of his affection as a friend, that is close to being worthy of affection as family. Once that is the case, the realisation that Madara-sama could be a potential romantic partner is all that is necessary to have the essential components for a romantic relationship that Madara-sama will accept.”

He thinks it over. Objectively, Seto is right. Sexual and romantic attraction are what nii-san wants and he won’t take a romantic partnership without them. Tobi might feel sexual attraction at some point - possibly, he’s not going hold his breath waiting for it, he’d die first - and he could see nii-san as worthy of friendship and a family bond. But to get him to see nii-san as a romantic partner seems like an impossibility.

“How?”

Hikaku grabs his hand. “That is not for you. Madara-sama must do it.”

What! Nii-san to court the most oblivious man alive! Alone! Without help!

“No. He’ll fail.”

Hikaku looks resolved. “Then he fails. He must do this on his own. Unless he asks for advice, we must not interfere. Senju-sama will love him or not, as determined by his own actions and choices.”

He looks at Seto, hoping for a different opinion but he doesn’t get one.

“Unless Senju-sama comes to see Madara-sama as a possibility for romance, there is nothing we can do other than what we are already doing.”

Nothing! This is going to be even more of a disaster than it already is!

Wait. They’re already doing something?

“What are we already doing?”

They both smile at him, and Seto takes his other hand. “We’re treating him like family. Because he is your brother. If Madara-sama can convince him, then he will be your brother twice over. But he is already your family and we treat him as such.”

Hikaku kisses his hand.

“Because you love him, and we love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Seto describes how Madara might win Tobirama, you can see that he is also describing how he and Hikaku courted Izuna before they were allowed to actually make an official courtship offer - convince Izuna to find them worthy of affection as friends and then family, get Izuna to see them as potential romantic partners and sexually attractive.
> 
> That is not an accident.
> 
> He's trying to convince Izuna that he and Hikaku really have loved Izuna for years. Izuna is right - he wants to have that fight. Again.


	41. Omake - Hanami

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you lose something important.
> 
> (It’s always in the last place you look.)

Izuna: *poking Seto in the chest, whispering furiously* Well, I don’t have it so you’ve got to!

Seto: *arms crossed* I have no idea what you’re talking about.

Izuna: The new bento box! I got it for our first hanami as a family and it was supposed to be a surprise for Hikaku! I saw you cleaning it last night!

Seto: Yes, and I put it away after.

Izuna: It’s not in the kitchen! I checked!

Seto: *defensively* Well, _I_ didn’t move it.

Izuna: *whisper shrieking* THEN WHERE IS IT?!

Hikaku: *holding out a bento wrapped in a furoshiki* Here.

Izuna and Seto: *stare at him*

Hikaku: Are we leaving?

Izuna and Seto: *nod mutely*

Hikaku: *raised voice* Okaasan! We’re going now!

Seto’s mother: *coming to the door of the kitchen, wiping her hands* Go and come back safely!

Hikaku: *leaves the house*

Izuna and Seto: *follow him silently*

Seto’s mother: *smirks* He makes a wonderful yome.


	42. Omake - Cooking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes your burn your food.
> 
> (There is no almost.)

Hikaku’s mother: And now you add the konnyaku to the water and bring it to the boil.

Madara: *applies katon to the pot* Okay.

Hikaku’s mother: Not too hot! You don’t want to - !

*water boils over*

Hikaku’s mother: - over do it.

Madara: *face palm* I’m never going to get this right.

Hikaku’s mother: It’s fine. Everybody makes mistakes with a new dish. And you bought lots of konnyaku. Are you sure you want to make this though? Oden is a _winter_ dish. It’s already spring.

Madara: But it’s so good when you make it.

Hikaku’s mother: Alright then. Let’s start again. And a gentle flame this time, alright?

Madara: *resolved* Right.

Izuna: *backs out of the kitchen, looks at Hikaku*

Hikaku: *whispering* I’ve never seen Madara-sama like this!

Izuna: *whispering back* This is a _disaster_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now you know how Madara learned how to make the oden that he recounted serving to Tobirama in chapter 19 of _Escape and Evade_.
> 
> And they did have konnyaku in the Edo Period. 
> 
> Beginning in the early 17th century, the Japanese imported konnyaku from China, and the 1846 book Konnyaku Hyakusen (‘100 recipes of konnyaku’) demonstrates its popularity in Japan at that time.
> 
> Since this chapter is set in the spring of 1825, I figured that it would be a popular import to the village with the advent of peace.
> 
> Considering its long reputation as a medicinal food, this would have been yet another attempt by Madara to show his worthiness as a husband and provider…
> 
> If you’d like to read more about the food eaten during the Edo Period, check out [this article](https://www.kikkoman.co.jp/kiifc/foodculture/pdf_12/e_002_006.pdf) by Professor Nobuo Harada.


	43. Tanabata, Autumn - Seto (26)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you see something.
> 
> (That you wish you’d never seen.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place a few weeks before chapter 19 of _Escape and Evade_ , _About to Run (for the Third Time) - Madara_.

Seto is amused.

Izuna-sama has refused to give up the baby all day, not even to her parents.

He’s been taking charge of her more and more lately, but this is unusual behaviour, even for him.

It’s been a challenge not to laugh as he’s watched Izuna-sama gradually learn how to deal with a baby, and never more so than as he’s watched Izuna-sama create a system to gradually dismiss possible problems in order of likelihood.

First is the check to see if the baby is dirty, then hungry, then sick, then bored.

The order never changes, and he always follows it.

It’s only once he has exhausted all the possible options, that he will bring the baby to someone with more experience and ask for help.

His face when he was told that babies sometimes cry without reason was a wonder to behold - a combination of terror and love that he’s seen on all new parents.

Still, Izuna-sama seems to have become more comfortable and he is, even now, carrying the baby with one arm, while not paying any particular attention to her. Instead his concentration is on koibito’s nephew, now four, who is attempting to catch a goldfish.

Although the poor boy is being verbally coached by both Izuna-sama and Madara-sama, he is not having an easy time of it. His coordination is still not very good, and there are no suspicious currents of water this year to help him.

Finally, he looks up at Senju-sama with a pleading look copied directly from his aunts and Senju-sama immediately crouches down to take the situation in hand.

A very serious discussion takes place about exactly which fish is to be targeted and then Senju-sama guides the boy with a light touch on the elbow to corner the fish against the side of the pool.

Once the fish is caught, the boy’s face is filled with triumph at his victory and Senju-sama pats his head with affection.

As Izuna-sama watches, his smile is filled with pride and love.

They are his family, self chosen, and beloved.

Madara-sama is struggling not to look as besotted as he feels.

They have all had months of watching Madara-sama attempt to court Senju-sama and it has been both as hilarious as they’d anticipated, and as much of a failure as Izuna-sama had predicted.

Most of the clan is aware that Madara-sama is in love, and there is much speculation about it. It is well known that Madara-sama has arranged for the regular delivery of their shared midday meal from the yatai that have sprung up all over the village as peace has brought enough money into the clan that people can afford to buy cooked meals.

The office is full of gossip about exactly which yatai Madara-sama has chosen, and which dishes are more popular than others. In fact, there is something of a fashion to try whichever dish Madara-sama has deemed worthy of his beloved.

It is all very amusing.

What is not well known is the extent to which Madara-sama is attempting to ingratiate himself.

Without a declaration of courtship, something that would be looked upon with nervousness coming from anyone so senior let alone the Head of the Clan, Madara-sama has attempted to play the role of husband.

He asks Senju-sama to make him tea with his mother’s tea set. He has a hakozen specifically for the office and Senju-sama serves him food on it. He even asks Senju-sama to draw water out of the air using suiton so that he can heat it with his own katon! He deliberately arranges to mingle their chakra!

He might as well be proposing marriage!

Thank the gods that no one in the clan knows of any of this except for Izuna-sama, koibito, Kikiyo, and himself.

Madara-sama would face much disapproval for what he is already doing, and they are all sure that he has not finished coming up with ideas yet.

He is currently quietly investigating the new flower shop run by the Yamanaka family who are the first to settle in the village outside of either the Uchiha or the Senju, and they are all waiting to see if he will actually be bold enough to attempt a message in hanakotoba.

If he does, the consequences will be horrifying.

None of them know how the Senju court, but there are rumours that hanakotoba plays a significant role.

And any clan for whom gardening is so much a part of their lives that they use a much quoted phrase to encourage novices who are attempting to begin a new garden must, surely, be aware of the language of flowers.

The idea that Madara-sama might, possibly, create an arrangement that says how he truly feels without making an offer of courtship…

Well.

He hopes that it won’t happen.

Or, if it does, no one finds out about it.

He doesn’t want to have to be the one to fix that mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a different, and a more objective view of the actions Madara describes in chapter 19 of _Escape and Evade_ ( _About to Run (for the Third Time) - Madara_ ).
> 
> As you can see, Seto views the same actions quite differently from the outside and his reactions are far more in line with how the rest of the clan - had they known about any of this - would react.
> 
> Spoiler: they never find out.
> 
> It would cast doubts on Madara’s ability to lead, and everyone who knows is trying to keep it quiet because of that.
> 
> You can see how I conceptualise Madara’s actions in relation to the unspoken Uchiha rules of courtship in chapter 19 of _The World Building of Courting Culture Confusion_ ( _Characterisation - Madara in Chapter 19_ ).
> 
> Finally, Seto doesn’t know it, but Madara has already given Tobirama the first bouquet of flowers at this point. His worries are all coming true.


	44. Obon, Autumn - Izuna (20)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you have a realisation.
> 
> (That things have changed.)

Izuna feels odd.

Nii-san’s house is clean and the altar is prepared.

The lantern to guide the ancestors home is lit and Hikaku is placing the cucumber horse and eggplant cow outside the door.

Seto has taken over the kitchen and is preparing a feast for both the living and the dead. He is sure that their ancestors will be surprised by the quality of the food offered this year. It’s certainly better than anything nii-san or he could ever produce.

He has the flower offerings ready to place on the altar - the white chrysanthemums for their mother and Kuro-hime, and the red camellias for their father and brothers.

Everything is in order for the offering, but it feels strange not to do this at their house.

But the offerings at their house will be for the ancestors of Seto’s parents. It’s their responsibility, theirs and Kikiyo’s.

The altar at Nii-san’s house is where his ancestors will come, and so where he has come too.

It’s just strange.

His life has changed so much in a year that this house, a faithful copy of the house that he grew up in, feels almost like a stranger to him.

A beloved part of his past, but no longer belonging to his present.

It’s true, which only makes it stranger.

Still, he places the flowers, Hikaku pours the sake, Seto lays out the food, and nii-san lights the incense.

They all pray.

After this they will eat.

Perhaps it’s time to tell his lovers about his family. Perhaps it’s time to tell _everyone_ about his family.

About his sister.


	45. Obon, Autumn - Madara (22)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you are told a truth.
> 
> (That you knew all along.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning:
> 
> This chapter contains a scene in which a transexual child is stripped to her undergarments in an effort to humiliate her for not being strong enough.
> 
> No one knows that she is not the boy she appears to be except her twin.
> 
> She is not raped and there is no sexual intent at any point.
> 
> Please, read with care for yourself and skip the chapter if any of that is not for you.

Izuna is laughing.

It’s good to see.

His brother still has moments of annoyance, but he’s truly upset less often.

Although there is an ongoing argument that he is only aware of because he has entered rooms suddenly enough to catch snatches of conversation before they hush themselves. He’s not sure what it’s about, and none of them will talk to him about it, but he has confidence that they’ll work it out eventually.

Maybe then he will get niblings.

So it’s good to see Izuna happy, particularly at Obon when everyone is solemn.

But Izuna is now solemn too.

“I have something to tell you. All of you, but particularly you, nii-san. I’m going to break a promise to Kuro-chan.”

Breaking a promise to the dead? At Obon? That seems… unwise.

Still, he can tell that nothing will dissuade Izuna so he nods.

Izuna takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. He is deliberately calming himself. So this is something that he is nervous about.

“Did you know that we had a sister?”

Madara immediately understands.

“Kuro.”

Izuna’s sigh of relief is almost explosive. “Thank all the gods, you already know.”

He does. The first year that he was Prey, he and the twins were all Caught by a group of runners of an age with their father. They’d been held, bound and gagged, until sunrise when they refused to yield.

They were taunted and threatened, and one of the runners had ripped off Kuro’s mantle in an effort to humiliate her.

Nobody had known that she was female, a girl in the body of a boy, except her twin who had struggled against the ropes so hard that he had dislocated his shoulder.

They had only told him after.

She’d remained strong, unwavering, and stood up to them even as they’d stripped her down to her underwear and mocked her lack of muscles, amusing themselves by deriding her as weak.

She could have escaped, but she’d stayed - for them.

Him and Togakushi.

It was only afterwards that they’d learned that their father had known of their capture and forbade their rescue.

Kuro and Togakushi had manifested the Sharingan after that.

It was what had led their father to assign them a courier mission that took them through Senju lands.

It was a mission that had killed them.

He remembers hearing the news as the messenger came to the door, being told that they were dead and falling to his knees in the snow.

The twins, only a year younger than him, had been his to protect.

He’d had only two brothers left after that.

Izuna was only seven then, and had mastered the Grand Fireball the summer of that year.

It had terrified him.

And then, when he’d seen Taetaka nii-san fall on the battlefield the spring after that…

He’d vowed that he would keep Izuna alive.

No matter what.

Izuna is his last remaining family and he will do anything to keep Izuna safe.

Anything at all.

Izuna is explaining to Seto and Hikaku how he was told that Kuro was a girl and how he’d developed his own nickname for her.

He’s ashamed that he never thought to do as much.

If she’d still been alive, would she have been Kuro-hime to him too?

He hopes so.


	46. Obon, Autumn - Seto (26)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you have to ask an uncomfortable question.
> 
> (And hope for a positive response.)

Seto is a little nervous.

Their obligations to Izuna-sama’s ancestors are complete, but he’s not sure how Madara-sama will react to his request.

Still, there’s only one way to find out.

“Goshujin-sama.”

It’s more formal that he’d normally be, and it immediately attracts everyone’s attention.

“Now that we have cared for your ancestors and prepared your home for Obon, may we visit the families of our birth?”

Izuna-sama looks surprised to be asked.

Madara-sama looks surprised that they would need to.

“Of course!” they both say in unison.

He breaths out a sigh of relief and takes koibito’s hand.

He leads them to the door. “We’re leaving now.”

Madara-sama smiles at them. “Go and come back safely.”

Izuna-sama follows them.

That he did not expect.

But he is glad of it.


	47. Obon, Autumn - Hikaku (21)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you dream.
> 
> (Of the sister who is now yours.)

Hikaku is dreaming.

He can tell.

It has that slightly unreal feel that he associates with either a dream or a genjutsu, and he has already activated his Sharingan to check.

He is sitting on the engawa of Izuna-sama’s family home, the house which they left behind when they moved to the village, overlooking the gardens behind it.

And there are two children in the garden.

He was only eight when they died, but he was their age mate. They were never close, but he’s been Izuna-sama’s friend since childhood and, as such, knew them well. He’d visited their house. He’d eaten meals with them. He knows their names.

“Kuro-sama? Togakushi-sama?”

They both turn and smile at him. Their smiles are friendly and slightly mischievous.

“Hikaku-kun!” Kuro-sama says, “You know you can call me Kuro-hime! I’m a princess!” She adopts a haughty look as her twin pokes her in the side.

He can’t help smiling in return. “Yes, Kuro-hime.”

They are dressed in clothing that he’d never seen them wear in life. Their clan was never rich enough to afford formal kimono for children, but Kuro-hime is wearing a red furisode covered with a pattern of white chrysanthemums while Togakushi-sama is wearing a more sober black one with a pattern of red camellias.

He can feel that both kimono are silk when they run up and embrace him.

Instinctively, he pats their heads and strokes their backs as he hugs them back.

How strange it is to be so much older than his old playmates.

They both look up at him with eyes that are slightly wet.

“We wanted to welcome you to the family.” Togakushi-sama says.

“We even dressed up!” Kuro-hime adds.

“We didn’t want you to feel like you were alone even though the family is small now.” Togakushi-sama finishes.

He’d forgotten how they used to speak in turn like this, one building upon the words of the other.

“I don’t feel alone,” he tells them. “I have more family than I have ever had.”

“Good!” they say together as they start to fade.

“And you can tell Izuna that I forgive him for breaking his promise!” Kuro-hime yells.

She’s just as loud as she ever was.

He wakes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With regards to my choice of clothing for Kuro-hime and Togakushi, I’ll quote below:
> 
> _The furisode originated in the mid-1500s as middle- and upper-class children's clothing, worn by both boys and girls; it was not worn by adults. Initially, the furisode had relatively short sleeves, and was used as everyday wear by those who could afford it. Over time, as the sleeves lengthened and became more exaggerated, the furisode became a style of kimono worn mostly to special occasions. According to one 17th-century text, boys could wear furisode until their 18th year, or until they went through their coming-of-age ceremony, which usually occurred in late adolescence. Girls were supposed to cease wearing the furisode upon marriage, or upon reaching their 20th year._
> 
> _Initially, furisode did not differ noticeably between the sexes, but fabric designs started to become more gendered in the 19th century. In the 20th century furisode became restricted to women and girls only, as part of the increasing gender-specificity of children's clothing that developed in the wake of Western influence. As the furisode became increasingly associated with young adult women, the term was removed from the shorter-sleeved children's garment, which acquired the more generic term "wakiake" (open-sided)._
> 
> As you can see, the furisode would have been special occasion wear for children of their ages in that time period, although the fabric designs would have started becoming more gendered. As such, I’ve given Togakushi the more sombre version.
> 
> Of course, it’s a joke that he wears the black kimono since her name means “black princess”.
> 
> It seemed like the kind of irony they’d both enjoy.


	48. Two Brothers Alike in Temperament, Autumn - Hikaku (21)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They knew that this was coming.
> 
> (A long time coming.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place just after chapter 24 of _Escape and Evade_ , _Omake - Two Brothers Alike in Temperament_.

Izuna-sama stomps into the house, broadcasting anger with every movement of his body.

“Nii-san is the reason you two never courted me properly! It’s his fault!”

Ah. They were wondering when this would happen.

He reaches out but Izuna-sama slaps his hands away. “Don’t _touch_ me!”

It’s worse than he thought then.

He tries with words.

“Goshujin-sama…”

_“I’m not your husband!”_

Izuna-sama is shrieking.

This is like the first time he Caught Izuna-sama all over again.

He can see exactly why Izuna-sama is upset. He’s right. They didn’t say anything because they couldn’t. They’re runners, and he insists that he’s not. They’re senior to him _because he won’t take the position he’s entitled to_.

They couldn’t court him outside the Run.

And Madara-sama forbade them to offer courtship.

All they could do was show him their love in the ways open to them, few though they were.

And it was barely enough.

Even now Izuna-sama hesitates. He will not believe that they have loved him for as long as they say they have. He will not even look at them with the Sharingan to confirm that they are telling the truth.

Sometimes, he acts like they are each other’s _first_.

Hikaku is at a loss. He cannot fix this. He cannot even make it better.

He backs away.

“What, nothing to say?” Izuna-sama’s voice is filled with venom.

He shakes his head.

He has nothing. There is no defence to be offered. He is out of options.

Thankfully, he is not the only one in this relationship.

Shujin wraps his arms around Izuna-sama from behind.

Izuna-sama swears and strains, but does not break free when they all know that he could.

Thank all the gods, he still trusts them enough for this.

“Madara-sama forbade us from offering you courtship, that is true. So we gave your what we could. Hikaku kissed you with both our lips, an unspoken request to see our passion. He showed you his heart and the love that both our families could give. And we waited until we could offer ourselves entirely.”

Shujin’s voice is low and calm for all of its desperation.

He adds his own.

“I know that it was not as much as we could have wished. You deserved our honesty and we were unable to give it to you. You deserved our hearts and we could not give them. You had to wait to claim something that was already yours in truth.”

He reaches out, moving slowly so that Izuna-sama can push him away if necessary, and cups Izuna-sama’s face between his palms. His fingers stroke the cheekbones under Izuna-sama’s beautiful eyes as the Mangekyō flares.

“I realised that I loved you the moment I saw you fall back under the Hiraishin and I thought you dead. I told shujin as soon as I could and he asked me to court you for both of us. I did my best. I am sorry that it was not enough.”

He bends his head to kiss those lips that he loves but Izuna-sama wrenches his face away, breaking out of shujin’s hold.

“Stop. I can’t do this. I need to think.”

Izuna-sama leaves the room.

They can hear his steps as he walks out onto the engawa.

Shujin’s arms open to receive him and he steps into them. He feels the arms wrap around him and they offer a comfort that he sorely needs.

“He will return. Do not worry.” his husband offers the words quietly, a whisper in his ear. “Izuna-sama is only protecting himself.”

The words are the same as before. Shujin was right then, and he hopes the words will prove to be correct again.

He fears that they won’t be.


	49. About to Run (for the Third Time), Autumn - Izuna (20)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you experience a change in perspective.
> 
> (Knowledge doesn’t wipe away pain.)

Izuna sits on the engawa and stares at the moon.

Hikaku was telling the truth. It was impossible not to see that.

So they loved him for three years before they Caught him together. They courted him as best they could given the circumstances.

Frankly, he’s not sure they could have done better.

He certainly wouldn’t have. He’d have given up.

That’s not the problem.

The problem is that they _hurt him_.

They’d intended to make him love them, and they had.

He’d loved them.

He’d loved everything about them.

Every bit of themselves they’d shown him, he’d loved.

And he hadn’t been allowed to touch any of it.

For two years, he’d been shown something beautiful and forbidden. Something he’d been sure was never going to be his.

Seto said that kiss that was meant to show him their passion. It had. It had also shown him that passion was theirs and not for him.

They were _married_. To _each other_. They couldn’t have been more clearly marked as out of his reach.

He’d keep burning himself on their flame, over and over again, for two years because he couldn’t resist it.

He couldn’t resist them.

He can see now why they’re still so irritated as his status. Why they constantly refer to it as ‘playing’ Prey. Why they thank him for his service each time he yields.

Because they know that he’s better than them.

If he discarded all rules, all limits, they could never hold him.

And they know it.

They respect him for it.

But they also respect that he plays by the rules that disadvantage him.

It’s a conundrum.

Even if they weren’t married, he could never have courted either of them.

He’s the heir, he has the Mangekyō, he holds power over them. In the clan and on the battlefield, their lives are his to command.

So this is really the only way they could have done it.

It was done with the best of intentions, and the purest of motives.

But the pain still burns like fire.

Until he cools, he won’t be able to trust them. Not the way he wants to.

And Tobi will be here before the end of the week to ask for something ill advised that he will, objectively, have no reason to refuse.

So he needs time on both issues.

He’ll take it.


	50. About to Run (for the Third Time), Autumn - Seto (26)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, love leaves again.
> 
> (Have faith that it will come back.)

Seto freezes as he enters their bedroom.

Izuna-sama is packing.

Koibito stops just behind him.

They’re both frozen.

He never thought that Izuna-sama might actually leave them.

Scream at them, fight with them, perhaps even take them to bed and work his aggression out that way.

He’d hoped for that, honestly.

He never thought that Izuna-sama might _run_.

“I’ll be gone for two weeks. Tobi will be here looking for me before that, and you can tell him that we’ll talk once I return.”

Izuna-sama fastens the top of his weapons pouch and slings the bag over his shoulder before coming over to them.

A single finger touches his chin, tipping it down so that a kiss can be pressed to his lips.

“I’ll be back. Calmer. Less angry. Less hurt.”

Koibito, being taller, is not so easy to kiss and Izuna-sama has to wind a hand into his hair to pull his head down.

“When I get back, we can talk this out. It’ll be fine.”

And then he’s gone.

Seto turns to look at koibito and is amazed to find him smiling faintly.

Koibito must read his surprise because he laughs softly. “Izuna-sama almost never lies. He’s terrible at it. He’ll tell you the truth so that you believe the sky is green and would never think to check, but he won’t lie. So if he says that he will return and things will be fine, I believe him.”

His beloved has such faith.

So he will try to as well.

He will hope.

For love and trust to return in full measure.


	51. Run Away, Autumn - Hikaku (21)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you have to wait.
> 
> (Patiently.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place just before chapter 30 of _Escape and Evade_ , _Omake - Escaping and Evading_.

Hikaku is lonely.

Izuna-sama has been gone for over two weeks and he feels like he’s missing a limb.

Shujin is still here but their family is not complete.

When Izuna-sama had first come in, radiating anger like a fire radiates heat, he’d thought the emotion on that beloved face was rage. Looking back, he can see now that it was pain.

They’d hurt him.

And Izuna-sama has always retreated to deal with his pain alone.

When his siblings had been killed, when he was unable to graduate to become a runner, when he realised that Madara-sama had no intention of _ever_ letting him become a runner… he’d left. Gone away.

He’d isolated himself.

They’ve lived together for almost a year now and, in all of that time, Izuna-sama has never retreated from them like this.

He’d hidden his feelings, his insecurities, his worries, himself.

But even those, he’d gradually grown to share with them.

When he’d told them about the situation with Madara-sama - now gone from bad to worse while Izuna-sama has been gone - Hikaku had hoped that Izuna-sama had come to trust them with his whole self, all the parts of him that he kept hidden away.

He’d had no idea that Izuna-sama held pain like this.

He’s always known that the laughing, cheerful face that Izuna-sama shows the world is only a mask for the ruthless, cunning man underneath. A man who is never more ruthless than with himself. 

He has known Izuna-sama to cut away whole parts of himself in order to achieve an objective, and can only hope that they will not be another part of his life to be sacrificed.

He must have faith in Izuna-sama’s words.

Izuna-sama said he would be back. He said that they would be fine. He promised that they would talk again, with less anger this time.

He’d been relieved to hear it.

But, as the weeks have gone by, he’s come to realise that there was one thing that Izuna-sama did not say.

Izuna-sama did not say that he loved them.

That lack has come to consume him.

It makes him fearful, and he dreads Izuna-sama’s return as much as he longs for it.

Fourteen days, Izuna-sama said, and nineteen days have come and gone.

It feels like a bad omen.

The whole clan is out there waiting for their Clan Heir, looking for answers about what might have happened with Senju-sama, but shujin and he are here, in their home, waiting for the return of their husband.

He hopes they will still be family after this.

He can feel Izuna-sama rapidly approaching. The steps on the engawa sound hurried.

The shōji slides open and Izuna-sama bursts into the room like a whirlwind.

He is tackled to the tatami, and Izuna-sama’s lips are pressed to his.

His mouth opens on instinct and is immediately invaded.

He moans. He can’t stop himself.

_“Goshujin-sama…!”_

Izuna-sama whispers against his lips.

“I love you. Yome.”

He’s glad that he’s already lying down, or he would have collapsed in relief.

Thank all the gods.

He wraps his arms around his husband and presses frantic kisses to the face of the man he adores.

He almost can’t bear to let go, but Izuna-sama breaks his hold and crawls to shujin who is sitting on the other side of the cold irori with wide eyes.

He rolls onto his side to watch as shujin is likewise pressed to the tatami and kissed insensible.

Every part of Izuna-sama’s strong body is exerting itself to hold shujin down, to prevent escape or even movement.

They cannot hold him, but he came back to them anyway.

He palms himself. Perhaps, they can…

Izuna-sama breaks off, gasping. “I have to go.”

Go?

Izuna-sama struggles upright, rearranging his clothing to hide his arousal. “I need to check in with nii-san. I came straight here, ignoring everything else, because you were more important. Because I love you. I love you _both_.”

They sit up slowly, tracking him with their Sharingan.

Izuna-sama is dusty from travel, his hair is falling out of its tie, he has a bruise high on his cheekbone, and his mantle is crumpled where Hikaku had grabbed it in an effort to hold on.

Hikaku has never seen him more beautiful.

From the hunger in shujin’s eyes, they are in agreement.

Izuna-sama can clearly read it in them for he laughs and makes a gesture with his hands as if to fend them off.

“No! I have responsibilities! I need to let nii-san know about the mission, and I need to find out what happened with Tobi. I’ve heard the craziest rumours and I need to know what’s going on.”

He bends to pick up a mission scroll from the bag he abandoned by the shōji and they follow the movement.

Izuna-sama shakes a finger at them. “No! You were more important, but we’re fine now. You did everything you could have done, you worked within the limits of the rules, I can’t see how you could have done anything different. I was mad, but now I’m over it. We’re fine.”

That’s all? There’s nothing more to say?

He will never understand how Izuna-sama’s mind works.

And then Izuna-sama leaves the room as abruptly as he entered it, leaving them sitting on either side of the irori just as they were before he arrived.

Only a lot more aroused.

This is Izuna-sama’s way.

Everyone is caught in his flame, they burn with his fire, and then he leaves all in chaos.

He lies back down on the tatami and starts to laugh. Shujin joins him.

Their family is complete once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Izuna spent the whole mission thinking about them, replaying all of his positive memories of them, and letting his pain wear itself out.
> 
> He knew that he'd lashed out in his pain and hurt them all, so he left to save them more of that.
> 
> But, even before he left, he knew that he wanted to keep them. He just had to let his pain go, and he was determined to do that without an audience.
> 
> In this he's a mirror to Tobirama - where Tobirama wants Izuna to help him to incept himself with love for Madara, Izuna actually uses his own Sharingan to deliberately incept himself into falling in love with his husbands all over again. He won't call it forgiveness because there's nothing to forgive - in his head, they did the right thing. More than that, they did the only thing.
> 
> To him, the results were worth it. Now he has to do his part, and he does it.
> 
> Izuna - totally ruthless and never more so than with himself.
> 
> EDIT: Just to be clear, he didn’t apply a genjutsu to himself - he simply replayed his own memories. It’s exactly the same process by which he wears down his own PTSD with regards to Tobirama - positive memories to overcome trauma. An real world analogy would be re-reading old love letters or smelling a scent, and deliberately evoking the love you associate with someone.


	52. Escaping and Evading, Autumn - Seto (26)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you can’t do what you want.
> 
> (Sometimes, you do what you have to.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place just after chapter 30 of _Escape and Evade_ , _Omake - Escaping and Evading_.

Izuna-sama comes home looking unwontedly serious. “You have to let nii-san Catch me this year.”

Instinctively, he wants to say no.

If Izuna-sama is set upon this ridiculous idea of playing Prey even when he has more than earned the status of runner, then _they_ will be the only ones to Catch him.

He’s theirs and no one else’s.

But that’s not true.

Though he may be their lover and husband, he’s loved by many.

Izuna is the Beloved Prey of every member of the clan, and none more than Madara-sama.

So there must be a reason for this.

“Why?”

Izuna-sama must have been worried about his response because he lets out a relieved breath.

“Because Tobi’s left for Uzushio and nii-san can’t follow. He can’t leave Hashirama-sama alone to handle everything, and he can’t help Tobi in any way. He’s stuck and he needs something to do or he’ll go crazy.”

Objectively, Izuna-sama is correct.

He’d noticed the absence of Senju-sama - hard not to when Madara-sama was roaring about it, and everyone had felt his chakra explode with panic just before he left - but he hadn’t thought about what it must be like for Madara-sama to be unable to go with him.

If it had been koibito or Izuna-sama who’d left for Uzushio and he was the one left behind… Well, they wouldn’t have liked the state of the village when they came back would perhaps be the best way to describe it.

So Izuna-sama is correct. Madara-sama needs an outlet for his frustrations.

And Izuna-sama is volunteering to make himself a target.

This is exactly the kind of behaviour that makes him beloved.

It’s annoying.

He takes a deep breath.

“You make a cogent argument, but you can be the one to tell yome.”

He opens his arms and Izuna-sama steps into them. He’s trembling slightly.

“I know you worry for Senju-sama.” he whispers the words into Izuna-sama’s ear. This is not the kind of thing one announces for the world to hear. “He is strong and he will return safely, in better health than before. Trust in the Uzumaki. This is what they do best. Apart from play pranks on people they consider far to serious to live.”

Izuna-sama lets out a slightly watery giggle. “Trust you to always make me laugh.”

He smiles and knows that Izuna-sama can feel it.

“That is what I am here for.”


	53. Omake - About to Make a Deal (with the Devil)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you have to prepare.
> 
> (For the unexpected.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place just before chapter 41 of _Escape and Evade_ , _Omake - Make a Deal (with the Devil)_.

Seto: *checks forearm to make sure the senbon holster is properly hidden in his kimono sleeve*

Hikaku: *hands over the ninja wire* Do you really need all of this?

Izuna: *carefully layering shuriken into the front of Seto’s keko obi* YES. Mito-hime is TERRIFYING.

Seto: *tucks the ninja wire into his other sleeve* I have never sparred with her, but I trust someone who has.

Hikaku: But this isn’t sparring.

Seto: It is a kind of sparring. A verbal one.

Izuna: *kisses Seto* Good luck.

Seto: *kisses back* Thank you.

Izuna: *gestures Hikaku over* Come on!

Hikaku: *kisses him sarcastically* Good luck. Not that you'll need it.

Izuna: *face palm* It's nice that you have confidence in him but you've just made this so much harder!

Izuna: *looks at Seto* Our boyfriend is an asshole.

Seto: *picks up his katana* Yes.


	54. Omake - Making a Deal (with the Devil)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, all your preparations are not enough.
> 
> (And you have to do it all again.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place just after chapter 41 of _Escape and Evade_ , _Omake - Make a Deal (with the Devil)_ and contains much of the same information, but from the Uchiha perspective.

Seto: *teeth chattering* I’m home!

Hikaku: *from the kitchen* Welcome home!

Izuna: *coming into the genkan* So, how’d it go? Did you - Oh gods!

Hikaku: *yelling* What?

Izuna: *yelling back, then breathing a katon over Seto’s hands to warm them* Can you bring the yogi? He’s frozen!

Hikaku: *carries a thick yogi into the genkan* What happened?!

Seto: *slowly warming up* She invited me to negotiate in the garden.

Izuna: *stripping the haori off Seto and shaking snow out of it* It’s snowing!

Seto: I know. I sat in it for _hours_. I have no idea how she stayed warm.

Hikaku: *wrapping Seto in the yogi until all that can be seen is his head* I never thought… she _is_ terrifying.

Izuna: *taking off Seto’s hakama and shaking the snow out of that* I TOLD YOU!

Seto: I need sake. All the sake.

Izuna: *taking away the wet clothing* Coming right up!

Hikaku: *helping Seto over to the irori, yelling* Make sure to bring enough cups for everyone!

Seto’s father: *pokes head into the room* Did you ask for sake?

Seto’s father: *sees Seto* WHAT HAPPENED!

Izuna: *coming in to the room with the sake set, followed by Seto’s mother with the sake and Kikiyo, lights the irori with a one handed katon* I’d like to know that too, actually.

Seto: It seems that the phrase about gardening isn’t about gardening.

Hikaku: *surprised* It’s not?

Seto: No. It’s about courtship.

*stunned silence all round*

Seto: The seed is an offering of courtship and the water is a declaration of love. For the seed they use gifts, and for the water they use hanakotoba.

Izuna: So nii-san already did that.

Seto: Yes. And, thankfully, Senju-sama has accepted.

Madara: *bursts into the room* HE DID?!

Seto: *sternly, pulling one arm out of the yogi to point at him* Yes. And you are lucky that he did. If he didn’t, it would all have come to nothing.

Madara: *sits seiza on a zabuton* I’m grateful. I really am.

Kikiyo: So that would make the care with affection… the marriage?

Seto: *puts the arm back under the yogi* Unfortunately not. It’s the Senju marriage contract.

*everyone groans*

Seto: Yes. It’s as bad as we’ve heard. They negotiate on everything. _Everything_.

Seto’s father: It can’t be as awful as the stories say.

Seto: It can. It is. And I have to go back and do it all again tomorrow.

*everyone looks appalled*

Seto’s mother: *curiously* Did she disarm herself?

Seto: She did. She laid out her kunai, shuriken, senbon, and kusari-fundo. I didn’t even know that she _had_ a kusari-fundo. I know she kept her kanzashi.

Seto’s mother: *smirking* And what did you keep?

Seto: *grimacing* Everything except the kunai and the katana. I wasn’t going unarmed with an opponent like _that_.

*everyone laughs at him*

Seto: *pulls the arm out again to wave a scroll at Madara* This is for you. Her copy will be going to Senju-sama tonight in her message box.

Madara: *grabs it and starts reading*

Izuna: So nii-san and Tobi make changes until they’re both happy?

Seto: *tucks arm back under the yogi, nods* Yes. And then we wait.

Madara: *looks up* _Wait?_

Seto: Wait. If Senju-sama approves the contract, then you have leave to court him but must wait for him to offer himself to you. She said, “Madara-dono must trust that Otouto will grow love in his heart. If love flowers, then Otouto will bring himself to Madara-dono as an offering and become Uchiha.”

Izuna: He’ll become UCHIHA?!

Seto: *nods at the contract in Madara’s hands* Senju-sama is offering to become Onna Zokuchō of the Uchiha. It is not only an alliance marriage. He will become ours.

Madara: *drops the contract* Ours? _Mine?_

Seto: He will become your wife. Yome.

Madara: Yome! *starts grinning maniacally*

Izuna: We’ve lost his attention.

Hikaku: *picks up the scroll* Then this is not just for Madara-sama, it’s also for the clan.

Izuna: *crawls over to look over Hikaku’s shoulder* That’s a good point.

Seto: You can go straight to the second part.

Hikaku: *reading aloud* Offers to become Onna Zokuchō of the Uchiha…

Izuna: *reading aloud too* To live in a home of Madara-sama’s choosing…

Hikaku: *continues reading aloud* Children to have equal rights to membership between the Senju and the Uchiha Clans…

Madara: *snaps out of it* WHAT? NO!

Izuna: Well, you can’t expect him to give all of his children to us!

Madara: They’ll be _our_ children!

Izuna: The word in that sentence is ‘our’. Half-Senju.

Madara: But the Sharingan!

Izuna: Unless he chooses an Uchiha surrogate, it probably won’t happen?

Madara: And why _wouldn’t_ he choose one!

Seto: *exhausted* I’m not going back there tonight. You can make what changes you’d like and I’ll take them back tomorrow.

Madara: I’M NOT WAITING! THIS IS ABSURD! OF COURSE OUR CHILDREN WILL BE UCHIHA!

Seto: *sarcastically* Well, the only other option is to go directly to her, but I have no idea what the consequences of that would be. Considering what she did to me, I doubt it would be good.

Madara: YOU BET I’M GOING TO GO DIRECTLY TO HER! SHE JUST WANTS HIM TO CHOOSE AN UZUMAKI SURROGATE!

Madara: *storms out of the house*

*everyone looks at each other*

Izuna: *tiredly* I’ll go and try to keep him out of trouble.

Hikaku: *kisses him sarcastically* Good luck. You'll need it.

Izuna: *face palm* And you did it again!

Izuna: *looks at Seto* Our boyfriend is an asshole.

Seto: *huddles into the yogi* Yes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The phrase about gardening that is actually about courtship is “If you plant a seed, water it with joy, care for it with affection, and trust in it to grow, then you will grow love”.
> 
> As for the yogi, I’ll quote:
> 
> _A yogi is a thickly padded, kimono-shaped comforter, used for sleeping on cold winter nights. They were made in three sizes, with the luxurious silk damask yogi exhibited here representing a large example. Yogi became popular in the Edo period (1615–1868) and were frequently part of a wedding trousseau. Yogi were often decorated with auspicious motifs, suggesting that they would keep sleepers safe and sound through the night. Since both covers and the wadding would have been replaced as needed, yogi could be used over a long period of time._
> 
> _In ukiyo-e paintings, prints, and illustrated books we often see pictures of sleeping couples—whether husband and wife or courtesans with clients—covered with yogi. These images show how the neck and the shoulders were kept warm due to the kimono shape of the coverlet. Most yogi are quite heavy because of the wadding, but similarly shaped, lighter garments were worn as night robes._
> 
> The Metropolitan Museum of Art has several examples, two of which which can be found [here](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/50812) and [here](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/45412).


	55. Omake - Made a Deal (with the Devil)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, your brother has a big mouth.
> 
> (It gets him into trouble.)

Madara: *stomping up to the engawa* HASHIRAMA!

Hashirama: *opens the shōji* Madara? Is something wrong?

Madara: *roaring* YOU BET SOMETHING IS WRONG! YOUR KITSUNE OF A WIFE WANTS TO STEAL OUR CHILDREN FOR THE UZUMAKI!

Hashirama: *sternly* Madara, you know that’s not true.

Madara: YES IT IS! IT SAYS SO IN THIS THING!

Hashirama: It does not! Senju contracts always have the option for children to claim membership with the clan! It’s traditional!

Madara: I DON’T CARE! OUR CHILDREN WILL BE UCHIHA!

Mito: *silkily, stepping out from behind Hashirama* Oh really? Is that what you want me to tell otouto? That he has no choices about the allegiances of his children?

Madara: *poking her in the chest with each word* THAT’S NOT WHAT I SAID AND YOU KNOW IT!

Izuna: *running up* Nii-san, DON’T!

Mito: *chakra chains whip out and tie Madara up* It’s late and I’m not doing this tonight. If you still want to do this directly, you can inform Seto-san of that, and then meet me here tomorrow at noon.

Izuna: I really think he wants to do this through Seto-san!

Madara: *tied up, roaring* NO! I DON’T!

Izuna: *face palm* Or not.

Mito: *sweetly* In that case, I look forward to negotiating with you tomorrow.

Mito: *chains fling Madara away from the house* For now, I’m going to take my husband off to bed.

*shōji slams closed*

Hashirama: *from inside* Good night Madara! I’ll talk to you - urk! Coming Mito!

Izuna: *helping Madara up* I think we have a lot of work ahead of us…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter directly precedes chapter 42 of _Escape and Evade_ , _Omake - The Shovel Speech_.


	56. Lunar New Year, Spring - Izuna (21)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family.
> 
> (Is a gift that can be offered. Again, and again.)

Izuna is happy.

Almost all of his family is with him, and the one person who isn’t will be returning within a week or two.

This is his third year celebrating the turn of the season with their families, and it’s become comfortingly familiar.

He’s stuffed full of oden, and is contemplating the last wagashi on the plate when Kikiyo grabs it. He snarls at her playfully and she smirks at him.

The baby is not a baby anymore, but she still fits in his lap. She’s dozing quietly, well fed and clean, resting her whole weight on him. Her parents are smiling at him smugly. Yes, he likes babies now. She’s converted him.

Almost everyone tonight has either hinted or asked outright when they are going to have children. Hikaku’s mother has been especially persistent, but nobody has been more vocal on the topic than nii-san.

He keeps laughing off the question, but it’s something that he’s been thinking about. A lot.

Seto’s family has been quiet on the subject, and he suspects that he knows why.

Kikiyo does not want a relationship, but she needs children to continue their line.

She’s great with kids, babies too, and she’s obviously ready to be a mother, but she doesn’t want a man. She hasn’t had any luck in the clan asking for someone to help her with that, and - given her father’s initial reception - they’re all a little wary of asking an outsider.

He has an idea about that, but it’s going to have to wait until the last member of his family is home.

In the meantime, he makes a hand sign at Seto’s mother. She still won’t let him call her okaasan, but she now lets him use obasan. It’s progress that he’s happy to take.

She laughs and shoves a samisen in Seto’s direction. He takes it without protest and points at Kikiyo, who backs off laughing only to turn around and find a deadpan Hikaku with another instrument behind her.

Her face becomes resigned and she takes her place opposite Seto.

He laughs at her and she makes a face at him.

Their mother gives them the signal to begin and they play the opening notes together.

The music gets faster and faster until Kikiyo stops suddenly, leaving Seto to carry the tune alone.

His fingers move lightning fast over the instrument as he pulls music from it at a speed which seems impossible.

Then Kikiyo is playing too and the music is shared between them for a few beats before Seto stops and Kikiyo carries the tune.

She takes the tune in a different direction, the notes going high and thin, but just as fast as before.

Then they do it again, and again, seamlessly passing the melody back and forth between them, building on each other’s music as it gets faster and faster until they suddenly stop.

The last few notes seem to hang in the air, resonating in all of them before Seto’s father cheers his children and toasts them with sake.

Everyone seizes a cup and downs it.

Including him.

The baby is awake now, sitting up and looking around at all the shouting and cheering adults.

Perfect timing.

He picks her up and brings her back to her parents who accept her with wry looks.

Hey, if they want him to have children, they need to let him practice making them right?

He jokingly says as much, and they laugh at him but wave him away.

He grabs Hikaku’s hand and goes over to steal Seto away from his family.

It’s going to be a very good night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song that Seto and Kikiyo play together was inspired by the competitive nature of the Tsugaru-jamisen contest and is based on [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcqO0zkyQRo) of two lovely ladies in gorgeous kimono who engage in something of a shamisen battle - although they're obviously coordinating with each other.


	57. Running Towards Home, Spring - Izuna (21)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, your best friend inspires you.
> 
> (It happens quite often actually…)

Izuna is nervous.

He’s been planning this for quite a while, but now that the moment is actually here he’s not sure how to start.

Well, when in doubt, always start with a distraction.

“So, it looks like nii-san and Tobi are going to be married soon.”

Everyone freezes.

Seto, his mother, and Kikiyo all slowly put down their chopsticks, while Seto’s father just leaves his hanging in mid air.

Hikaku’s already holding his like he’s about to use them to stab someone.

He uses his own pair to pick up a dumpling and makes a show of inspecting it casually.

“Tobi came to see me today and he was wearing a shiromuku. He said he was fulfilling his obligations before he went somewhere.”

Kikiyo nods. “That would explain his presence in Madara-sama’s office. They were… easily felt.”

Seto’s father cackles before he starts eating again. “I bet! So they’ve sorted themselves out. Good for them! Marriage, huh?”

He nods. “I’m pretty sure.”

He puts the dumpling in his mouth and chews.

No one else has started eating again except for the two of them.

Looks like he’s been found out.

He swallows and takes a deep breath.

“I was thinking that, when they do san-san-kudo, we might want to do it as well.”

Hikaku’s eyes brighten.

Seto’s eyes immediately flick to his mother and then Kikiyo.

“And I want to propose that Kikiyo-san ask Tobi to father her children.”

Everyone freezes again.

He lays it all out.

“Kikiyo-san has no interest in a relationship, or sex in general, but she needs children to continue your line. No man in the clan has been willing to contribute his lineage to yours, which is unfortunate as your line is crucial to our future. We need the skills and perspective that you offer, now more than ever before, and I don’t see that changing. I’d do it, but you haven't asked me. You don’t want your children to have the expectation that comes with my line, and - with Seto’s marriage to me - it would be all to easy for your line to become a secondary line to mine. That’s perfectly reasonable and accepted.”

Everyone’s attention is fixed on him.

Seto’s mother is slowly nodding along as he presents his observations.

“We appreciate your understanding. So why do you propose we ask Senju-sama?”

He sets down his chopsticks so that he can count off his points on his fingers.

“Tobi loves children, but he doesn’t need to own them. He’s taken in Kagami-kun but made no effort to adopt him. He’s done the same for a lot of other Senju children too. He’s never restricted his love to his family line.”

Everyone looks like they agree with that.

“He and nii-san will need heirs. My line will provide, but nii-san will want his own.”

This is inarguable. Everyone makes various faces as they all remember the giant fight through the village in the middle of winter as nii-san had attempted to negotiate his own marriage contract without help.

There wasn’t a single person in the village who hadn’t heard nii-san screaming about wanting his children to be Uchiha.

“Also, the final marriage contract that Tobi approved says that any children he has with an Uchiha surrogate will be part of the Uchiha Clan. It’s very clear.”

He spreads his hands, palms up.

“If he doesn’t care what line his children will be from but they must be Uchiha, I see no reason why he cannot love any children he gives Kikiyo-san. And Kikiyo-san can offer, in turn, to bear heirs for nii-san.”

Hikaku has been looking thoughtful and speaks for the first time. “But what about his suiton? The children might inherit it.”

Seto laughs.

Kikiyo makes a dismissive gesture.

Their mother smiles.

“Our line has never relied on ninjutsu. We focus on other skills. A child with suiton would not be a problem for us. We are already unusual within the clan, an affinity other than katon would not make us any more or less so! It’s one of the reasons we were willing to accept you as yome.”

Hikaku smiles back. “And I have always been grateful for it.”

Seto’s mother takes a deep breath.

“I agree with your proposal. I will take it to Madara-sama once they are married.”

She picks up her chopsticks again.

“And we must arrange for your marriage.”

He bows.

“Thank you, okaasan.”

She smiles at him.

“No, thank you, musuko-san.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that Japanese parents almost never use musuko-san to refer to their sons, unless on very serious or important matters.
> 
> And it would seem even less appropriate here because Izuna is not marrying into her line - he’s taking her son away into his line instead. It’s a reversal of what she should be saying. She should be treating Izuna like a man who is marrying her daughter. She should call him Izuna-sama.
> 
> However, I use it here because Izuna is caring for her like a son would.
> 
> He is acknowledging that - in marrying Seto - he’s causing her line problems, and he won’t take Seto away until he has a viable solution.
> 
> Just like Hikaku did muko-iri for years to show his worthiness to be a part of her family, this is Izuna making his offering to show his worthiness to marry Seto.
> 
> Izuna has held off on claiming something that Seto and Hikaku specifically offered to him over a year ago because of this. He’s refused himself for them. Because he feels that he owes it to them.
> 
> This is Izuna being ruthless with himself, holding back, as an act of love for Seto’s family.
> 
> So when he calls her ‘mother’ he is acknowledging all the care that she has given him as he’s lived in her house for the last year.
> 
> He’s the senior line, Madara’s the head of his family, but he lives with her and _her_ family.
> 
> She’s finally letting him treat her like his mother.
> 
> In turn, she is treating him like a son.
> 
> They will never acknowledge it publicly, but Izuna was just unofficially adopted by Seto’s mom.
> 
> Thus the use of the word.


	58. Home, Spring - Hikaku (22)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura blossoms.
> 
> (Can symbolise many things.)

Hikaku looks up at the sakura trees.

All of the sakura trees are in bloom. The ume trees too, and the scent of their blossoms is heady in the air.

He feels intoxicated already.

This will be the fifth spring since the village was formed and he’s become used to how Hokage-sama uses his mokuton to hold the trees in flower long after their season would normally have passed, feeding them his own chakra to keep them beautiful for the enjoyment of his citizens.

But this year, he’s truly outdone himself.

It’s as if the whole world is decorated in shades of pink and white.

Shujin and he are dressed in shiromuku, as is only proper.

Today they will become part of Izuna-sama’s household.

They walk on either side of Izuna-sama, and his hand trembles with the desire to reach out and touch.

Izuna-sama is wearing montsuki for the first time. There are sakura petals in his hair.

He is beautiful.

Hikaku can hardly believe that he is about to be married.

Shujin first promised him this ritual when he was seventeen and he is now twenty two. It has been five long years of waiting, and he is not gaining one husband, but two.

Behind him, his mother is crying with joy but her sounds are completely drowned out by the wailing of Hokage-sama.

Only their families are here, but it is still a large group.

In front of them, Madara-sama and Senju-sama walk together, with Hokage-sama, Mito-hime, and Tōka-san following.

Behind them are their families, shujin’s first, and then his.

There is no priest to bless them, but they follow the old rituals.

The cask is unsealed and the sake poured before the kami.

Madara-sama and Senju-sama take turns to sip from the sakazuki, and then Hashirama-sama and Madara-sama do the same.

With that, the Uchiha and the Senju are now one family. 

They all support the marriage of Madara-sama and Senju-sama.

Senju-sama beckons them forward and they come before him.

With his own hands, he pours the sake for them.

Hikaku allows the Sharingan to flare in his eyes. He wants to remember all of this forever.

Shujin is first, and he alternates sips with Izuna-sama.

Then they turn to face him.

Shujin’s smile is a blessing. Confident and slightly wicked, it encourages him to step forward.

He doesn’t dare look at Izuna-sama.

It is his turn.

His hand is shaking so much he almost spills the sake, but a small gesture from Senju-sama makes the sake slide back into the sakazuki.

He smiles his gratitude and then takes a small sip.

The cup that touches his lip is cold, but the sake burns like fire down his throat.

This is the sake that will bind him to Izuna-sama.

With each sip he takes, he becomes a new person.

When he dinks the last of the third cup, he is yome in truth.

He turns and faces his new husband.

He doesn’t know what he will find.

But he sees only the same mischievous smile that he’s known all of his life.

And then his lips are taken in a hard kiss.

He feels shujin’s arms come around them, as he kisses back.

They are wed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Metropolitan Museum of Art has an essay ‘Japanese Weddings in the Edo Period (1615–1868)’ which can be found [here](https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/jwed/hd_jwed.htm).
> 
> I based the wedding in this chapter on that essay, but I made a number of changes.
> 
> If you’d like to know exactly what I changed and why, check out chapter 74 in _The World Building of Courting Culture Confusion_ , _World Building - Shinobi Weddings in the Village during the Edo Period_.


	59. Planning to Run (for the Fourth Time), Summer - Izuna (21)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you need to help.
> 
> (To form a conspiracy.)

Izuna knocks on the door to Tobi’s lab.

He has something serious to discuss. He knows that Tobi can tell because the report on the latest experiment is immediately put aside as soon as he’s seen.

He makes the gesture that means he wants to use his Sharingan and Tobi nods impatiently.

“We need surrogates.”

Tobi nodes again. Yes, it’s kind of an obvious statement.

“You and nii-san are going to consider an Uzumaki contract this winter.”

Another nod, but this one is accompanied by an encouraging gesture.

“I don’t have one.”

This gets an eye roll.

He takes a deep breath. Being honest is harder when he doesn’t have a distraction to start off with first, even with Tobi.

“I think we need a Senju surrogate.”

Both of Tobi’s eyebrows fly up. Heh. Even after everything, he can still surprise his best friend.

“Why?”

It’s a good question.

“Partly, it’s instinct. We don’t have enough outside blood coming into the clan. It’s tricky when we’re all so paranoid about outsiders.”

Tobi nods along. This is a well known problem among the Uchiha. Lines are carefully traced to make sure there are as few ancestors in common as possible.

“But also - I want Hikaku’s kids to have his doton. We could use the diversity, but he’s already so unusual in the clan and I don’t want to isolate him even more. We don’t know where his doton came from, no one else in his family has it, his is the first generation in their family to produce shinobi, it’s a mystery. He deserves to give his strength to his children. Or at least to have the option.”

Tobi is thoughtful.

“I never considered it, but you make good points. The Senju have never had a specialisation like the Uchiha, and Hikaku’s line certainly deserves to continue. But the children will not be of his line. They will be of yours. And your line has never had anything but katon in it.”

He grimaces. That’s exactly the problem.

“I know. I don’t think nii-san will care, but the elders will. And that’s another thing. Everyone is pressing surrogacy offers on nii-san. They’re hoping for favours in return. Any Uchiha we accept will expect it. Except for Kikiyo-san, because she knows exactly what she’ll be getting in return.”

They’ve talked about Kikiyo before, him and Tobi. But nothing can happen officially until after the Uzumaki contract is complete. They could argue that it only applies to Tobi and not nii-san, but better to avoid an incident. Besides, Tobi and nii-san are still adjusting to each other.

He’s been living with Seto and Hikaku for almost two years now though, and he feels ready.

“So it’d be a good idea to go outside the clan completely, and get a surrogate who will have no claim on the children at all.”

Tobi unconsciously makes the hand seal most commonly associated with ninjutsu for focusing chakra. On its own, it doesn’t actually do anything, but it’s a sign that he’s thinking hard.

“And having children with Senju blood in them will bring the village closer politically.”

“Exactly. Can you see any problems with it?”

Tobi shakes his head slowly. “None. Will you need a list of candidates?”

Now it’s his turn to nod.

“Yes. She’ll need to have doton, and be willing to be a surrogate several times. We want all of our children to share the same surrogate since they can’t share us.”

Tobi is amused. “That is a lot of pregnancies.”

It’s worse than Tobi is thinking. “We want six.”

Tobi’s eyebrows go up again. “Six? Two each?”

“We know. It’s a lot.”

“That is going to be the limiting factor, you know that. A Senju surrogate with doton is not that unusual a combination. Six pregnancies and a surrogate who is willing to give up all claim to the children for her line since they will be Uchiha without question…”

Yes, Tobi would be familiar with that from his own marriage contract.

He winces. “If they have a talent with genjutsu, that would be something that we’d prefer too.”

Tobi freezes.

“I know of only one kunoichi who matches all of those requirements. But you would have to be very convincing.”

Huh. He didn’t think there would be _any_.

“Can you introduce us?”

Tobi smirks. “Introduce you. Hikaku-san already knows her.”

Okay then.

“In the meantime, nii-san needs a distraction. And we had too many Prey graduate without deserving it when you paralysed everyone.”

Tobi doesn’t make a face, but he can tell the impulse is there. It’s true though, several of the kids who graduated weren’t really ready and just took advantage of Tobi’s actions. The clan has had some problems with them since.

“It wasn’t your fault, but the fact remains that we can’t let that happen again. And this is going to be your last Run as Prey.”

Tobi is amused. “I take it that you have a suggestion.”

He bares his teeth. It’s not a smile.

“I do.”


	60. Tanabata, Autumn - Izuna (21)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, things change.
> 
> (Sometimes, things stay the same.)

Izuna is standing on Tobi’s shoulders.

Hashirama-sama has really outdone himself this time. The bamboo grove he grew for Tanabata this year is enormous. There’s no way anyone is getting to the top of it, but he’s determined that his will be the highest tanzaku of them all.

He gets his tied on tight before whipping out two more from his sleeve and waving them at the kids below.

Hikaku’s nephew waves back from Seto’s arms and points to the branch that he wants his tanzaku tied onto. At five, he’s a little old for being carried but they all spoil him.

This is kind of an example really.

So he nods back and leans over to tie it on to the right branch. He deliberately leans almost far enough to overbalance and Tobi has to grab his ankles to steady him.

There are gasps from the kids below, and not just his own.

They’ve drawn a crowd.

Okay then.

Once he’s got that tanzaku tied on nice and tight, he waves the last one at Hikaku’s niece. She’s gone all shy and hides her face in Hikaku’s neck, peeking out with one big eye and pointing where she wants hers to go. She’s biting her fist with nervousness.

This time he leans even further. Tobi, the asshole, leans too and they really do almost fall over. He has to stick himself to Tobi with chakra and he can feel his best friend laughing through the soles of his feet as he ties the last tanzaku on.

Nobody else can tell, but he can.

Bending over, he takes a look. Tobi’s face has only the smallest smile on it, but the shaking of his shoulders is a dead give away. His best friend has an asinine sense of humour. But then, so does he. It’s one of the reasons they get along so well.

So he steps onto Tobi’s fluffy head, balances on the toes of one foot to take a bow, before doing a showy backflip off and onto the ground.

Everyone claps.

Even Hikaku, although he claps sarcastically. Somehow. He wouldn't have believed it was possible if he hadn’t grown up with the guy.

Maybe it’s something in the expression.

The crowd disperses and Seto hands the boy over. He puts the kid up on his shoulders and only winces slightly when the tail of his hair is sat on. Seto kindly pulls his hair out from under the boy’s leg and tucks it next to his neck, smirking slightly as the hand brushes over his nipple under the pretence of stopping a little foot from kicking him.

There are assholes all around him.

Tobi plucks the girl out of Hikaku’s arms and takes the opportunity for a snuggle. She smacks a kiss on his cheek.

Everyone laughs.

It’s so good to see Tobi accepted by the clan. To see his family all together is wonderful.

Tobi and he share a look.

Nobody noticed, but he tied a second tanzaku on the bamboo when he tied his.

They both wished for the same thing.

A baby.


	61. Obon, Autumn - Madara (23)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you really don’t want to be trapped in the office with paperwork.
> 
> (Especially when there are better places to be.)

Madara is annoyed.

He’s been married for less than half a year and he’s already receiving offers from surrogates.

He’s buried in them! Sometimes, it feels like every Uchiha female has offered and everyone is speculating about it.

It’s diving him crazy.

He rolls them all up and piles them in a chest that he shoves into the corner of the room.

He never thought he’d say it, but thank god for the stipulation in the marriage contract that says the Uzumaki get the first chance to offer to be surrogates. He can tell everyone that he can’t consider an offer from an Uchiha until after storm season.

He’s done with this.

It will be Obon in a few days and that’s a time for family.

All he wants to do is go kiss yome pliant and yielding before he has to tackle the cleaning of the house.

Now that will be a good use of his time.

He leaves the office feeling much lighter.


	62. Obon, Autumn - Izuna (21)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you get help.
> 
> (It’s always appreciated.)

Izuna is cleaning.

It’s a lot easier than it used to be with a suiton user in the household.

Things that used to take ages to scrub, are soaked and then have all the water pulled out of them along with the dirt.

Laundry has been a revelation.

Now he knows why Tobi always has clean clothing and yet always wears the same things.

Tobi can’t spend all of his time doing it, but what he does do is very appreciated. They’re all very grateful. 

At the same time, there have been some adjustments.

The first time he’d seen Tobi send hot miso soup flying out of the pot and into the bowl on his hakozen, he’d flinched.

Everyone had noticed.

Tobi had been hurt.

Understanding, but hurt.

That had been bad.

It’s odd but, for all that they’ve been friends for years, Tobi had never cooked for him until they’d started having family meals. On missions yes, but sticking things over a fire or getting cold food out of a sealing scroll didn’t really show how Tobi uses his suiton in the kitchen.

He’d offered to stop, but they all said no.

They’ve all had to get used to it.

Just like Tobi has gotten used to their katon.

He’d seen them use it in the office and in the labs so he wasn’t surprised by it anymore, but he wasn’t used to things that they all took for granted.

Like the sheer amount of hot water they use.

He’d never known that the Senju were still using wood to fuel the fires for their bath houses.

Apparently they do.

The Uchiha have never had to do that.

Tobi uses the hot water from his cooking to do the dishes, and then to water the plants.

They’ve never been able to get the water clear enough to do that.

It’s all shown them that there are areas still where they can work together.

Tobi and he are now working on a seal that can be placed in a basin or bucket to heat the water placed into it. Thanks to the plans from the capital that Seto sent back when they were building the village, everyone has water, but not everyone has a way to heat it. If he and Tobi can get this seal to work, then anyone who can feed chakra into the seal will have hot water when they want it.

Tobi’s also working on a seal that will create a current in the water. It won’t be as fast as the way he cleans dishes or clothing, and the buckets will have to be filled and emptied by hand, but it will help.

There are all these options that they’ve never thought of!

Living with Tobi has been a constant surprise.

Like how cleaning for Obon has taken about half of the time it used to.

Seto and Tobi are now arguing in the kitchen - about what he doesn’t want to know. It smells good and that’s all that he cares about.

Hikaku is off getting the sake from Seto’s father.

Nii-san is putting together the cups for the offering.

They’re a family.

It’s a good thing.


	63. Obon, Autumn - Seto (27)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you help your family.
> 
> (You help them keep secrets.)

Seto is helping okaasan put the last touches on to their boat.

Kikiyo will be carrying it this year, just like last year.

After the last Okuribi, a few of the elders had come up to him and asked if she needed more training with her katon. She’d kept her fire as dim as possible, golden and flickering like a candle flame, and there had been some pitying looks.

Just as he’d always performed his small katon elegantly, but the larger ones with visible effort and the warriors in the clan had looked down on him for that.

No one outside of the family has ever seen Kikiyo’s true katon, or his either.

Unless they have to, they’ll never reveal it.

He had only showed Izuna-sama this year, after they married. Truly married. Izuna-sama had laughed and laughed even as koibito had smirked at them.

Their true fire burns blue and with enough precision to sear the hairs off their skin without harming them.

It’s actually their most commonly used katon. Simple, precise, and useful, it keeps their skin soft and hairless without the need for blades. He does it for Izuna-sama and koibito too now and they all appreciate the feel.

He lifts the boat into Kikiyo’s arms and then places the cucumber horse and eggplant cow into his mother’s hands.

Maybe, in a few years, Kikiyo will have children to carry the animals.

He hopes so.


	64. Obon, Autumn - Hikaku (22)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, your vegetables look a little odd.
> 
> (Especially when someone in the family has the mokuton.)

Hikaku feels relieved.

No one has had any dreams this year.

After being visited two years in a row, they’d all been a little nervous, especially since Senju-sama has joined Madara-sama’s household. Personally, he’d been dreading a visit from Tajima-sama, although he knows that Madara-sama was hoping for one from Kuro-hime.

Maybe next year.

He pauses as he carries the cucumber horse. His niece and nephew are on either side of him, holding one animal each, and they seem to be attracting more children. Senju-sama is carrying the cow and a child tugs at his sleeve to get a better look at it.

Somehow, the stem of the eggplant seems to have split into two, making it look like it has horns.

He suspects the hand of Hashirama-sama.

Senju-sama crouches down to let the child touch it curiously before catching up to him.

Together they walk on.

What he said to Kuro-hime last year is more true than ever. His family is now larger than it has ever been.

The family of his birth, Shujin’s family, Izuna-sama’s family, and now Senju-sama’s family are now all his to claim.

He sees them almost everyday.

His life is filled with family.

He feels lucky.


	65. Almost Time to Run (for the Fourth Time), Autumn - Hikaku (22)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you have something to say.
> 
> (But not where family can hear it.)

Hikaku is nervous.

As seems to have become a tradition, everyone has gathered at shujin’s house for dinner the night before the Run.

Everyone is full of food, but still eyeing the wagashi that okaasan has laid out next to the pot of tea.

Tonight, they will tell Izuna-sama what they will offer him if they Catch him.

In previous years, they had always told Madara-sama, so they went to him again this year. They’d dreaded telling him their offering, and it appears that he’d dreaded hearing it just as much. He’d looked constipated and told them to take their offer to Izuna-sama instead.

So they will.

Tonight.

After.

Izuna-sama is the first to snatch a wagashi. He’s always had a liking for sweets.

He passes the plate to Senju-sama who does not.

But Senju-sama takes one.

And feeds it to the baby.

Nii-san rolls his eyes. Everyone knows how Senju-sama believes that children need sugar to function. He seems to have no idea at all that not all children are shinobi and do not all eat like himself. At least his niece still sleeps well even when given sugar so close to bedtime.

He still takes the plate away before Senju-sama can feed his niece another piece and Izuna-sama takes the baby back to his brother.

She’s not a baby any more. Not really.

She’s walking. And talking. She will be three years old in the spring.

Perhaps he will one day be a father to a child just like her.

He hopes so.


	66. Almost Time to Run (for the Fourth Time), Autumn - Seto (27)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you need to have an uncomfortable conversation.
> 
> (It does’t have to go badly.)

Izuna-sama has stolen them away from the family.

He seems to make a habit of it.

“What is it? I can tell there’s something that you’re not telling me.”

He’s right.

“We wish to ask approval to make an offering of intimacy and an offering of favour tomorrow night, should we Catch you.”

Izuna-sama looks puzzled. “Shouldn’t that have gone to nii-san?”

He’s right.

“We did let him know, but he sent us to request approval from you directly.”

Seto can’t help smirking slightly. “He said that he didn’t want to know what our intimacy offering was.”

Izuna-sama laughs. “Sounds like him. Okay, what is it?”

Yome and he share a look. Koibito made the offering last time. It’s his turn.

He takes a deep breath and releases it out slowly.

“We ask your approval to offer intimacy and favour. For favour, we ask that you accept a set of furs. For intimacy, we ask that you allow me into your body, as you take yome.”

Izuna-sama looks shocked.

They’ve never done that before.

Always, one of them has remained to guard the others. Involved, yes, but not so distracted as to be unable to defend them.

If Izuna-sama accepts, none of them will be free. They will all be entangled.

They will need to trust in their protections.

It’s not something that they ask lightly.

Izuna-sama is obviously thinking about it.

“I take it that you’ve already applied seals to the room. And that Kikiyo-san will be at home and not participating in the Run.”

They both nod.

Izuna-sama takes a deep breath and grins wickedly.

“I really, really hope that you Catch me.”


	67. Running (for the Fourth Time), Autumn - Seto (28)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, there is something you want.
> 
> (You have to chase it.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the next correlate directly to chapters 50 to 52 of _Escape and Evade_.

Izuna-sama heads for the gates, following close on the heels of Senju-sama.

The rest of the Prey race after them.

They can feel it when Izuna-sama peels away from everyone else, heading towards the river.

He clenches his hands, restraining himself. They must wait until the second gong sounds to release the runners.

It’s almost painful.

There!

They leave the gates right after Madara-sama who directs them away with a single gesture.

They can feel Senju-sama, rolling his chakra over the forest like a wave. It’s a lure, specifically for Madara-sama.

He is not their prey.

Instead, they follow the trail that Izuna-sama has left for them.

Tonight, they will Catch themselves a husband.

Their husband.


	68. Running (for the Fourth Time), Autumn - Hikaku (23)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you have to be sneaky.
> 
> (Especially when the Prey you are hunting is clever.)

Izuna-sama has barely laid a trail at all.

His tracks are muddled by the water and he only entered and left the river over rocks. There are no prints and Hikaku is having to track him by chakra as much as signs of his passing.

Ah, here is where he left the pebbles on the river bank and took to the trees.

Hikaku leaps up, making a hand sign to tell shujin to stay on the ground. They will have better odds of Catching Izuna-sama if they can ambush him. If he retreats behind ninjutsu, they will have no chance at all.

And then Izuna-sama’s chakra disappears completely.

They both freeze.

Have they lost him?

They creep towards the clearing where they last felt him and find it deserted.

Hikaku scans it with his Sharingan. It is only the merest vibration of the leaves that tells him something is breathing within the camouflage of a thicket.

It could be an animal but, somehow, he doesn’t think so.

Or at least, it’s a human animal.

He affects disappointment and makes the hand sign for the loss of an objective.

Shujin kneads chakra and expands his own sensory abilities, limited though they are.

Hikaku uses the distraction to form a very short series of hand seals, covering them with the sleeve of his mantle.

There is a gasp from within the thicket, and then a long creative stream of swearing.

Izuna-sama’s mastery of invective is as impressive as ever.

They make their way over and push through the thicket to find Izuna-sama buried up to his neck in dirt.

“Yield?” he asks for both of them.

“Yes!” says Izuna-sama, glaring at them. “Yes, I yield, and tonight had better feel as good as it sounded!”

Shujin laughs as he kneels down to kiss their husband. “We hope so too, goshujin-sama.”


	69. Running (for the Fourth Time), Autumn - Izuna (22)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you are given reassurance.
> 
> (From an unexpected source.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters 69 to 72 of their story take place between chapters 52 and 53 of _Escape and Evade_.
> 
> Warning:
> 
> Chapters 70 to 72 will contain a single sex scene that will be explicit in nature.
> 
> Please, read with care for yourself and skip if that is not for you.

Izuna is nervous.

This won’t be his first time having Seto in his body, they did that on his very first night with them. But it will be the first time he’s been guarded during sex by someone he doesn’t know and won’t be able to see.

He been with them for three years and they’ve always defended each other.

This time they’ll be defended by family.

And by a kunoichi whose full capabilities he doesn’t know. By design, since she hides everything. It’s understandable, but it doesn’t help.

It’s like the first time with them all over again.

He’d put his faith in Hikaku then, but at least Seto had been in the room where he could keep track of what was happening. The idea of having Kikiyo in the room is definitely not one that he is considering. Not if he wants to have sex tonight anyway.

And it will be his first time taking Hikaku as well. He’s done that to Seto, but never to Hikaku.

That’s a lot of first times, right there.

To say that he’s feeling uncertain about all of this would be an understatement.

As they climb the engawa outside of their room, they all pass Kikiyo.

Seto smiles at her and kisses her on the cheek.

Hikaku and she clasp each others wrists. A warrior’s gesture, appropriate for them, and obviously meant as reassurance for him.

To him, she merely nods.

As he turns to slide the shōji closed behind him, he sees her settle down to sit on the engawa in tatehiza, wakizashi by her side.

If anyone comes for them, they’ll get a blade in the gut. It’s more reassuring than anything else she could have done.

He closes the shōji and turns to face his husbands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tatehiza is a seated stance that isn’t as well known today, but would have been pretty common during the Edo Period.
> 
> [This article](http://www.iromegane.com/japan/culture/is-seiza-really-the-traditional-way-to-sit-for-japanese-people/) describes several seated positions used historically and [this article](https://www.way-of-the-samurai.com/Is-Seiza-a-Real-Samurai-Fighting-Position.html) has several images of scrolls and woodblock prints of samurai sitting in various positions, including both seiza and tatehiza.
> 
> I wanted a stance that would have been easy for Kikiyo to rest in for a long time and strike out quickly from if she was attacked.
> 
> So I went through several of the seated positions used in Eishin-ryū, a Japanese sword art school that was founded in the early 1600s by Hayashizaki Jinsuke Minamoto no Shigenobu.
> 
> I picked tatehiza because - surprise! - I actually use something similar myself. I grew up doing it and it was considered, hilariously, more disrespectful than sitting crosslegged in my family. I find it reasonably comfortable to sit in for long periods of time, even on a wooden floor, which was mostly where I did it - in school gymnasiums, during assemblies and other long boring ceremonies.
> 
> If you want to know what strikes Kikiyo could do from it, check out [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1UV12cXOUc) of Kataoka Noboru performing several kata from tatehiza.
> 
> The one I imagine Kikiyo using would be Yokogumo (the first one), or Urokogaeshi (3 minuets and 43 seconds in).
> 
> You can find out more about Kataoka Noboru [here](https://www.nyckendoclub.com/about-sensei/) and [here](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0448640/bio).


	70. Done with Running, Autumn - Hikaku (23)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you get what you want.
> 
> (And you don’t know what to do with it.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning:
> 
> Chapters 70 to 72 will have explicit sexual content.
> 
> Please, read with care for yourself and skip if that is not for you.

Hikaku is worried.

This will be his first time to take anyone inside his body.

He’d wanted to wait for Izuna-sama and shujin had been willing to give him that.

But now that it’s time, he doesn’t know what to do.

Thankfully, shujin does.

Izuna-sama is turned to face him and shujin leans down to kiss Izuna-sama’s neck.

This is a position familiar to all of them and he gratefully falls into it. He takes Izuna-sama’s mouth gently, carefully licking in.

In return, his lip is bitten.

Well, if that’s the way Izuna-sama wants it to be.

He bites back and is rewarded by a moan.

Oh yes, that’s what he wants.

He shoves his hands under Izuna-sama’s mantle, seeking skin. As they kiss, his palms glide over strong muscles covering ribs that protect a beloved heart. He bends down to press his lips over that heart in a kiss.

This is the heart that took him in. This is the heart that loves him and shujin both. This is the heart that he is grateful to have been given. It is a heart that is his to care for.

He goes to his knees before Izuna-sama and worships the body in front of him with his mouth, pressing kisses down the ribs, over the flat panes of the stomach, and lays a bite over the thin skin covering the hip.

Izuna-sama twitches.

He’s ticklish.

The urge is there but he resists it.

Instead, he follows the skin downwards until he reaches his goal and takes Izuna-sama into his mouth.

The skin is softer here than anywhere else, the flesh firm and blood hot in his mouth.

Izuna-sama’s hands thread through his hair, pulling it out of the tail, but otherwise allowing him to do as he will.

He feasts.

To bring Izuna-sama pleasure is his entire focus. He loses himself in it.

As he licks and sucks, his fingers stroke over the entrance where shujin will take Izuna-sama. His fingers and shujin’s tangle together, shujin’s slippery with oil, coating them both. Shujin presses in first and then he follows, both of them feeling how tight Izuna-sama is, how he is struggling to open for them.

He needs more.

They will give it to him.

He works harder to take in more of Izuna-sama, and feels fingers stroking down his throat. He doesn’t know whose they are and he doesn’t care.

He wants more of Izuna-sama, and will take him any way he can get it.

The moans that he is hearing are now interspersed with calls of his name.

He wants it, but there’s another name that he wants to hear more.

Shujin knows.

“Name him who he is to you. He is not only Hikaku, your friend and lover. He is yours.”

His hair is yanked and he pulls back with a harsh inhale. His eyes fly open in surprise. He hadn’t realised that he’d closed them.

Izuna-sama is staring down at him, chest heaving and exposed to the cooling night air, one of shujin’s hands on his hip even as the other one works between his legs. The Sharingan is alive in his eyes. It’s almost hypnotising in its beauty.

This is the man he loves. Has loved for so long. Longer than even he has known.

This is the man he wants to belong to.

Izuna-sama’s lips part.

“Yome.”

Hearing the word makes him shudder.

“Goshujin-sama.”

His voice is rough and hoarse with desire.

Suddenly, the thought of taking his husband into his body no longer worries him. He doesn’t care. He wants it desperately.

Enough to beg for it.

He says so.

“Please. In me, please.”


	71. Done with Running, Autumn - Seto (28)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you get what you want.
> 
> (And it is beautiful.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning:
> 
> This chapter continues the sex scene from the previous chapter and will have explicit sexual content.
> 
> Please, read with care for yourself and skip if that is not for you.

They are beautiful together.

He could make a drawing of them, but then he’d have to burn out the eyes of anyone else who dared to look upon it.

And why would he need a picture when his Sharingan will preserve the memory for all time?

This way, they are his and his alone.

Koibito stares up at Izuna-sama, pupils blown wide with lust even as the tomoe spin around them. He’s drawing in deep breaths, necessary after so long only able to breathe shallowly around Izuna-sama in his mouth. His whole being expresses adoration and desire.

“Please.” he says again. “I need you.”

That is a call none of them can resist.

Izuna-sama bends down, pushing koibito flat on the futon and climbing over him. Seto removes his fingers and pulls off Izuna-sama’s mantle with his clean hand, before making quick work of disrobing himself.

Izuna-sama seems to have the same idea, stripping koibito roughly. Clothing is flung away without care as Izuna-sama attacks koibito’s neck with his mouth and then pins his wrists.

Koibito throws his head back and cries out with abandon. “Goshujin-sama! Please!”

Izuna-sama kisses his collarbones, laying bites over the kisses. “I’ll do it. I’ll do anything you need. Yome. I love you.”

With Izuna-sama straddling koibito, rolling their hips together, access is easy.

His fingers stroke over koibito’s entrance even as he puts his mouth to work on Izuna-sama’s most delicate places.

The thin skin behind the scrotum, and then higher.

He licks the entrance that he worked so hard to loosen as his fingers press into koibito.

They both say his name in shocked tones. But they say it together. “Shujin!”

It’s the first time Izuna-sama has called him shujin.

There are all sorts of firsts happening tonight it appears.

He redoubles his efforts, shouldering his way in between koibito’s legs. He kisses Izuna-sama’s entrance like he would kiss a mouth, tongue and all. His fingers stroke and press inside koibito, searching out the place that will bring him a pleasure entirely new to him.

He will seduce them both with his body and claim them utterly.

He palms himself with his free hand, spreading the oil.

He needs to be ready when they ask for him.

But, for right now, this is where he wants to be.


	72. Done with Running, Autumn - Izuna (22)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you get what you want.
> 
> (Sometimes, you get what you need.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning:
> 
> This chapter continues the sex scene from the previous chapter and will have explicit sexual content.
> 
> Please, read with care for yourself and skip if that is not for you.

Izuna doesn’t know what is happening anymore.

Shujin’s mouth on him where he’s never felt it before, yome under him, hot and almost feverish. He’s overwhelmed with sensation. It’s only the wrists under his hands and the skin under his lips that keeps him grounded.

He sucks another bruise into yome’s neck, and then kisses it lingeringly. This man is his, his to mark, his to claim.

Yome’s voice is hoarse and pleading. He’s chanting their names over and over again, begging for them.

He wants to answer, but he’s pinned as much as yome by the pleasure that shujin is bestowing on them.

“Please, shujin, please! Let me!”

Oh, that’s his voice.

He’s never sounded like that before.

Shujin must like it, for he eases away and pulls his fingers out of yome.

His voice is deep and rough. “Yes, Izuna-sama. Your will is mine.”

The idea that this man is his to command…

“In me.” He demands it. They are his. He will have them. Have them both in the only way he can.

Shujin helps to position him, holding him as he presses into yome.

Yome moans long and low without words, pleasure in every line of his body.

Yes, this is what he wants. But it’s not all he wants.

As soon as he is sheathed in yome, he demands it again. “In me. Now.”

He falls forward over yome, trapping him and presenting himself at the same time.

Shujin pushes his legs apart and noses at him, licking him again and again.

It’s so good, he can’t help the noises that he’s making, but that’s not the part of shujin that he wants in him.

“Not like that! Take me!” He’s yelling it, but he doesn’t care. Screw dignity, he doesn’t care who knows how much he wants his husbands.

Then he feels the line of shujin’s body against his back, a hand on yome’s shoulder, the other hand working to make sure he’s open.

He is. He’s so open that he’s aching with it.

He’s on fire with desire.

“Please.” It’s so soft that he’s not sure that shujin can hear him, but yome echoes it.

“Please, shujin. We need it. We need _you_.”

There, that must have been what shujin needed to hear.

He sighs with relief as he’s breached.

And then with pleasure as shujin moves in him, setting a rhythm that drives them all higher.

Soon the room is filled with their cries and he can’t tell whose voice belongs to who anymore. It’s simply the music that they make together.

He’s determined to last as long as possible. He doesn’t want to give this up, but he’s struggling to hold back from the peak, it’s so much. Yome under him and shujin over him, trapped and surrounded, burning in the furnace of their passion.

Shujin leans over him, pressing him even more deeply into yome who moans with the pressure, and whispers into his ear. “Goshujin-sama.”

He’s flung over the edge into ecstasy as he spills into yome’s body.

Shujin groans behind him. “Goshujin-sama. Yome. I love you. Love you _both_.”

He feels them both shudder and wetness spreads both under him and in him.

Well.

He drops his head to Hikaku’s shoulder and starts to laugh.

Hikaku makes a hilariously confused noise under him.

He can’t stop himself. He laughs harder.

He can feel Seto chuckling too.

Hikaku’s noises are now verging on offended and he rolls his forehead on the strong muscles that flex under him. Hikaku is struggling to sit up. He presses him flat again, making himself dead weight.

“Not laughing at you,” he gasps out. “Laughing at me. I was so nervous and you were so worried, and then… after all of that… we should have just let Seto handle everything from the start!”

Hikaku relaxes and starts to laugh as well. “I’ve always said it should be a rule: shujin is always right. We should always listen to what he has to say. “

Seto makes a despairing noise behind him. “Please don’t tell other people that. Please. They’ll never let me forget it.”

Laughing in between his husbands as they bicker about exactly when Seto has been right and when he’s been wrong… it’s a very good night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to know more about how sex works in the triad, you can check out chapter 86 of _The World Building of Courting Culture Confusion_ , _Characterisation - Izuna, Hikaku, Seto and Sex_.


	73. Lunar New Year, Spring - Izuna (22)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family.
> 
> (Is a gift that can be offered. Again, and again, and again.)

Izuna is excited.

This is the first year that Tobi is participating in the celebration.

He’s known almost everyone for years of course, but this is the first year that he’s really one of them, one of the family.

He’s been sitting very quietly amongst the noise made by everyone else, but he’s smiling as he plays with the children. In fact, the game that he’s playing with Hikaku’s nephew is a common one amongst shinobi children, one designed to teach the various ways to break a hold. Hikaku’s niece is in his lap and he’s being careful not to hurt her with any sudden movements, even when it restricts his options. She’ll turn three at the end of spring and then she’ll start at the Academy next winter.

They’ve grown so much.

Nii-san is watching them even as he speaks with Seto’s father and his eyes are hot.

No one should look at someone playing with kids like that.

He’s so glad that he doesn’t share a house with nii-san anymore.

Still, it’s good to have Tobi and nii-san home again for spring.

They’d both spent the winter up in Uzushio, Tobi redirecting storms around the island and freezing, while nii-san reviewed surrogacy contracts and waited to warm him up after.

He was glad that they were together, but he missed them the whole time they were gone, and not just because he had to supervise Tobi’s lab, or because all of the paperwork for the clan ended up on his desk.

Hikaku’s arms wrap around him form behind, even as Seto collects the children from Tobi.

“Is it time?” he asks, even as he feels Hikaku press a kiss just under his ear.

“Yes. Shujin will get our lantern.” The deep voice makes him shiver.

Seto brings their lantern over, and Tobi joins them. Nii-san too.

They all go outside into the cold to light them.

He sneaks a peek at the lantern nii-san is holding.

It’s smaller than their own, and constructed with Tobi’s usual deft touch, but it’s the words on it that are the true surprise.

Carefully written in nii-san’s hand, using the calligraphy that he usually only bothers with for formal letters, is a wish for a child.

It matches their own.

Perhaps this will be the year.

He smiles at his husbands even as he lights their lantern.

They lift their faces up to watch the lanterns fly away, and snow dusts their hair and eyelashes.

He feels like the luckiest man alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the first winter that Madara spent in Uzushio with Tobirama.
> 
> As usual, Tobirama’s labs fell under Izuna’s supervision while he was away although Tobirama still did all the paperwork. (If you want to know how that works, you can check out chapter 37 of _The World Building of Courting Culture Confusion_ , _World Building - How Tobirama and Izuna Run the Science Labs During Storm Season_.)
> 
> The real difference here was Madara’s work.
> 
> Madara holds down two jobs - he’s half of the Hokage team with Hashirama being the other half, but he’s also Clan Head of the Uchiha.
> 
> (If you want to know how that works, check out chapter 11 of _The World Building of Courting Culture Confusion_ , _World Building - How the Village was Formed in this AU_.)
> 
> So what happened was that Hashirama and Kikiyo sent everything up to him and Tobirama while they were up in Uzushio and they made decisions jointly that way. For anything that couldn’t wait, Kikiyo and Izuna jointly represented the Uchiha perspective and made decisions on Madara’s behalf which Madara approved afterwards.
> 
> Izuna took on all of Madara’s Clan Head paperwork. He sent what he could up to Uzushio, but a lot of it was interpersonal and verbal rather than administrivia, and he had to do it.
> 
> And that was on top of his work at his real job - being the secret head of T&I.
> 
> It was a lot.


	74. Hanami, Spring - Hikaku (23)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you get drunk.
> 
> (With family.)

Hikaku looks up at the sakura trees.

All of the sakura trees are in bloom. The ume trees too, and the scent of their blossoms is heady in the air.

He feels intoxicated.

He is not the only one.

This is their first year that the entire family has turned out for hanami.

Before it was a small group, just the three of them, but this year it feels like the whole village is here.

Both sets of parents are here along with his siblings from both families. Madara-sama and Senju-sama are here and so are Hashirama-sama, Mito-hime and Tōka-san.

Hashirama-sama is already drunk and lying down in Mito-hime’s lap. How anyone can put away that quantity of alcohol and still be alive he has no idea.

Kagami-kun and his friends are close by and have stolen the children to play. His niece is riding on the shoulders of Akimichi-kun and having a marvellous time directing him by pulling on his hair. His younger sisters are pursuing Kagami-kun who has picked up his nephew and is fleeing even has the boy laughingly screams for his aunts to rescue him. Another of Senju-sama’s students, Ichika-kun, is engaged in a serious discussion with Setsuna-kun. He’d known that they were friendly, but the closeness of their bodies implies something more.

He makes a note. There is something to watch there.

Kikiyo oneesan is having a drinking contest with Tōka-san, and Izuna-sama has just joined them.

This will not end well.

He can already tell.

By the smirk on shujin’s face he agrees wholeheartedly.

He leans back and rests his body against shujin even as he tilts his head to allow himself to be kissed.

It feels daring.

Izuna-sama cheers and toasts them with his next cup.

Senju-sama laughs at him. Madara-sama rolls his eyes.

It’s good to see them happy together.

They sit decorously apart as Senju-sama picks a dumpling out of one of the bento boxes, but the very last finger of Senju-sama’s hand is tangled with two of Madara-sama’s fingers, almost hidden in the folds of Madara-sama’s mantle.

Madara-sama has made no announcements, but they have been exchanging considering looks since they returned from Uzushio.

The clan is patiently waiting.

Oh no.

Tōka-san has started telling stories.

He’s already heard many of them already since they work together, but this is the first time that she and Kikiyo oneesan have gotten drunk together.

Worse, he knows this story. It’s the one about her last lover and how she gave him a concussion when he tried to wake her up with a kiss.

And now Kikiyo oneesan is telling the one about the mission when she had to kiss a man who tasted like a dead fish in order to feed him a poison.

Izuna-sama will not be able to resist this.

He is tempted to run away but nothing will stop the revelation of his shame.

“So. Did you know that Hikaku very rarely gets drunk?”

It’s begun.

“And when he gets drunk, then…”

He pushes Izuna-sama to the ground and kisses him silent to the general laughter of everyone else.

Izuna-sama smiles against his lips.

This is a loss of dignity far more bearable than any other. And he is well compensated.

He will remember this though.

Izuna-sama and Kikiyo oneesan are bad enough together. He must not let them become friends with Tōka-san.

That way lies disaster.


	75. Tanabata, Autumn - Seto (28)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you need to step back.
> 
> (And hope that things go well.)

Kikiyo takes a deep breath and releases it slowly, exhaling out her tension and nerves.

As head of their line, okaasan should have been the one to do this. However, she’d said that it was Kikiyo’s body and her choice.

So it is Kikiyo who will speak to Madara-sama.

He is here only as part of Izuna-sama’s household and will not be able to speak on her behalf or to support her.

He wishes that he could.

Still, at least he will be there.

And they have the support of both Izuna-sama and Senju-sama which is no small thing.

Still, he kisses her on the forehead. “Good luck.”

She smiles at him. “No luck is necessary. You trained me well.”

It’s what she always used to say when he wished her luck on her missions.

He hopes that this will turn out as well as those did.


	76. Tanabata, Autumn - Madara (24)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you’re made an offer.
> 
> (You already know how you will respond.)

Madara knows what Kikiyo is going to say, but there are formalities to be observed. He doesn’t want anyone to have cause to question this afterwards. So he says nothing when Kikiyo asks permission to speak, but only nods.

“Madara-sama. I am here on behalf of my line to offer to bear a child for you as a surrogate, giving up all claim to them for my family.”

This is what he expected, and he waits for the second half.

“In return, I ask that Senju-sama, a member of your household and your family, give me a child for my line. I am willing for this child to be raised between us as a member of both our families, especially if they inherit his suiton, but it is my name and my line that they will carry forward into the future.”

He speaks.

“I agree.”

Kikiyo looks surprised. “You do?”

He wants to smile, but restrains himself.

“Kikiyo. Your line has always served with honour and distinction. That you serve in spy craft and not on the battlefield does not make your line any less than mine. Your family has always served the clan with blood and body as much as any of the clan, and I, as head of my line, am honoured that you are willing to allow the strength and will of your line to join with mine.”

She looks at him with gratitude and he allows his face to grow stern.

“But I have one stipulation.”

She nods solemnly. “Please. Name it, and I will see it done if I can.”

“Both children will be conceived with the help of Hashirama. Neither of us will have sex with you. We are bound to each other and will know no others for the rest of our lives.”

He is very firm on this. Yome is _his_ and _his alone_. He will not share.

Not even for the sake of a child.

Kikiyo smiles and it looks like relief. “I am happy to agree to that. To be honest, I have never had a desire for any person, man or woman. I would have done my duty, but will be grateful to have the help of Hokage-sama in creating a child.”

Yome smiles ironically. “Perhaps you should wait until after you have experienced his help before you express your gratitude.”

Kikiyo looks a little worried. “It does not hurt?”

Yome immediately reassures her. “Not at all. It is completely painless, and takes about a day, perhaps two. It is merely that Anija has an… interesting way of talking to patients.”

They all look at him inquiringly but he says nothing more.

Well, they will all find out eventually then.

In the meantime. “You understand that we cannot do this until after the surrogacy contract with the Uzumaki is complete?”

Kikiyo nods again. “I do. My whole family does. Can I ask when that might be?”

He and yome exchange a look.

“We hope to have a signed contract by the end of next storm season.”

Kikiyo appears to be doing calculations in her head. “In that case, perhaps Hokage-sama will be willing to help us create a child for your line in summer or autumn? And then a child for mine in a few years.”

“Try for autumn,” Hikaku advises. “You don’t want to have two newborns at once if you can help it.”

It’s the first time that he’s spoken and, as always, he speaks sense.

“Thank you, Hikaku, you are quite right. Shall we agree to autumn?”

“I will agree to that. Thank you Madara-sama.” She makes as if to bow, and he holds out his hand to stop her.

“No thanks are necessary, of if they are, we must all thank each other. We cannot do any of this alone.”

Everyone smiles at that and he takes yome’s hand.

If all goes well, they will have two children in two years.

He looks forward to it.


	77. Tanabata, Autumn - Hikaku (23)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you hear a suggestion.
> 
> (That you knew was coming.)

Izuna-sama has something to say.

The way that he’s stirring the somen instead of eating it, reveals that he’s unsure of what they will think of it.

It’s just the three of them this afternoon and the rest of the family is resting in order to be alert for the festival tonight. After the conversation between Madara-sama and Kikiyo oneesan this morning, it’s a relief to relax in peace.

So he raises an eyebrow at Izuna-sama.

Izuna-sama sighs. “I want to suggest a name for our surrogate.”

Ah. He knows what Izuna-sama is thinking.

“You want to ask Tōka-san if she is willing.”

Izuna-sama looks surprised. “You knew?”

He smirks. “You were very obvious, goshujin-sama. The two of you have become close friends despite all of my efforts to prevent potential trouble.”

Shujin laughs. “Or actual trouble. Like the time that the two of you convinced Senju-sama to - ”

Izuna-sama interrupts “Never mind that! So what do you think?”

Shujin looks thoughtful. “I would agree. She has acted as a surrogate once before and has expressed no desire to claim the child for her line. However, that child is Senju. Will she even agree to acting as a surrogate for a child who will be Uchiha?”

He expresses his concerns as well. “Will she consider six pregnancies? I am unsure that we should even ask. We could request that she act as a surrogate for myself alone. You and shujin might share a different surrogate.”

The faces of Izuna-sama and shujin both set in stubborn lines. “No.” says Izuna-sama.

Shujin nods. “Our children will share one surrogate. I would accept less children before I would have our children be born of different surrogates.”

He cannot deny that he feels the same way. “Very well. Shall we request three children then? With the option for six?”

They all seem to be in agreement.

Shujin looks at Izuna-sama pointedly. “Goshujin-sama, you must ask.”

Izuna-sama rolls his eyes. “Why! Hikaku knows her best. You’re the most tactful. Why me?”

He shakes his head at Izuna-sama. With the way Izuna-sama complains, all of their children will pick up the habit. “Because you are the head of our family. We are married to you. You must ask.”

Izuna-sama sulkily stuffs his mouth full of somen and pouts. “Fine.”

It’s adorable.

He laughs.


	78. Tanabata, Autumn - Izuna (22)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you make an offer.
> 
> (And everyone knows what you’re going to say.)

Izuna is nervous.

A festival might not be the best place for this conversation, but he suspects that a formal meeting might be worse. And neither of them are particularly formal people anyway.

“Tōka-san? May I speak with you?”

Tōka spins around and points a stick of dango at him. “This is about being your surrogate isn’t it?” she says through a mouthful.

He throws up his hands in exasperation. “What is happening today! Everyone knows what I’m going to say before I say it!”

She smirks at him. It’s the same smirk that he’s used to seeing on Tobi’s face. Considering their ages, Tobi had probably picked it up from her actually…

“You’re not subtle on this topic Izuna. We’ve known of each other for years, but Tobi made a point of introducing us after you got married. We’ve only really become friends this year, and I’ve been a surrogate before. I know how this goes.” She bites off another piece of dango. “Also, you never call me ‘Tōka-san’.”

She chews thoughtfully. “Honestly, I was kind of surprised that you wanted a Senju for a surrogate considering the whole thing with your brother.”

He winces. “That was not my fault.”

She’s laughing at him. “Really? It wasn’t you that everyone saw in that second Susanoo?”

Okay, he has to give her that one. “Well, yes. But, Mito-hime was being really difficult!”

She nods, “And that’s why you came to me directly. You do know that she’s my Clan Head and I’m going to need her approval right?”

“Yes. But I’d hoped to ask if you were even open to the idea.” No point going through all of that with Mito-hime if she isn’t.

She waves that away. “I’m not unhappy about it. And I’ve never been keen on children, so I was never going to raise one for my family and everyone knew that. Hashirama and Tobirama were going to do that for us, and now that’s up to Hashirama. He’ll work that out with Mito when it’s time. But my last pregnancy was easy and I’ve had requests to be a surrogate since so I’m okay with hearing your offer. What do you want?”

He takes a deep breath. “Three children, one from each of us.”

She raises her eyebrow. “Not six?”

He makes a face. Of course Tobi told her. “Only if you’re willing. Three is what we want. We’ll take six if you are happy to have that many pregnancies.”

She taps the empty skewer against her bottom lip. “Six is a lot. Three is possible. And what are you offering for compensation?”

He spreads his hands. “What do you want?”

“Huh.” She looks surprised. “You’re leaving it up to me. Well, I want to know that the kids will be taken care of and raised well. To be able to visit them as they grow. To never have any parental responsibility.”

That surprises him. “None? I’m sure that you realise that the children must be Uchiha, but are you really willing to give up all claim on them?”

She nods. “Consider it my contribution to the peace. I know that your clan won’t accept their having any claim on the Senju, so that’s something I’m not even going to argue with. They’ll be your children without question.”

That’s a relief. “In that case, I can certainly promise that we will raise them to the best of our ability, and you are welcome to visit them. If we should all fall, then they will be left to Tobi to raise and I know that you trust him.”

She cackles. “I pity anyone that would try and take them away from him!”

He laughs at the idea too, but then sobers. “So, should I prepare a contract for Mito-hime?”

She bares her teeth at him. It’s not a smile. “Sure. Good luck with that. I’ll tell her to expect you.”

He hides his reaction. Seto is not going to enjoy this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note on characterisation here:
> 
> Tōka does not like children. She knows that she would not be a caring mother and has wisely chosen not to raise children because it’s ‘expected’.
> 
> She’s happy being a mentor to the shinobi under her command and quite likes the genin who are her teenage charges - shinobi usually graduate from the Academy anywhere between 12 and 16 years of age. However, she’s awkward around children and actively dislikes babies. That will not change. All of her protective instincts are focused on her family, her clan, and her village. She’s a career shinobi and happy to be so.
> 
> On a separate note, Tōka addresses Izuna, Hashirama, and Tobirama by their first names. She doesn’t use familial titles for Hashirama or Tobirama because they’re her family and, as the oldest, she has that privilege. She’s the daughter of Butsuma’s younger brother and a few months older than Hashirama. She’s two years older than Tobirama and has always treated both them more like younger siblings than cousins.
> 
> But she addresses Izuna, and later Hikaku and Seto, by their first names only for several reasons. Firstly, she’s a very casual person - unlike Tobirama who’s always careful to be correct, she’s more likely to address someone informally than not. Secondly, she knows Hikaku very well - as the Jōnin commanders for their respective clans, they work closely together. They’re friends even if not best friends. Thirdly, Izuna does it to her - because he does it to everyone. Izuna takes familiarities like other people breathe - he’s the only person shown to have a nickname for Tobirama - and has called her by her first name without an honorific since they got drunk at Hanami.
> 
> Finally, she’s pushing their boundaries and testing them. If they’re going to become insulted when she doesn’t address them correctly in a playful way then she doesn’t want to carry their baby.


	79. Omake - The Devil You Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You know what you are getting into.
> 
> (It helps. Some.)

Mito: *bows* Welcome, Seto-san to my humble home.

Seto: *bows* Thank you for the kind invitation.

Mito: Let us go into the garden.

Seto: *nods assent* Thank you for arranging for this meeting so soon.

Mito: *smiles ironically* I wasn’t going to make you wait until winter.

Seto: *laughs lightly* And for that I am very grateful.

*both sit in the garden*

Mito: I believe that you have a contract for me to review?

Seto: *hands over a scroll* Indeed. Please understand that this is only an offer. We are happy to negotiate.

Mito: Of course.

Mito: *opens scroll and begins to read* Three children, one from each of you, with an option for six if Tōka-san is willing. No other choices? Three or six only?

Seto: *deep breath* I’m afraid so. We wish to share in all our children equally.

Mito: Very well. Anata to assist with conception if available. That should be no problem. The children will be raised as Uchiha with no claim on the Senju clan. I expected nothing less. Tōka-san to have the right to visit, but no parental rights, not even if you should all pre-decease her. Otouto will act as parent in that case… That’s all? You offer no compensation?

Seto: *lays his hands palm up on his knees* We have no idea what Tōka-san might want. We are willing to give much, but to make an offer without knowing what she might want would be folly.

Mito: *nods approvingly* Very good. In that case, I think you will need this. *hands over scroll*

Seto: *opens scroll and begins to read* Until the baby is born, it will be part of Tōka-san’s body and we will have no rights to it. Tōka-san will have total control over her own body during the pregnancy and we will have no right to control her or her actions. She will continue to work and take missions at her discretion. If Tōka-san wishes to end the pregnancy at any point, the choice is hers and hers alone. The choice of how to give birth is up to Tōka-san. The agreement can be ended by Tōka-san at any time. Of course, all of that sounds reasonable. But does she wish for nothing more? No payment?

Mito: *shrugs* She says not. She has asked me to let you know that she would welcome any offerings of food or physical affection that you would choose to give, however the specifics of that would be between you.

Seto: *adds it to the contract* Done. We are happy to agree to that, within the bounds of our comfort and hers, to be negotiated between us as each incident arises.

Mito: *rolls up Seto’s scroll* In that case, I will bring this to Tōka-san for her approval.

Seto: *rolls up Mito’s scroll* And I will bring this to Izuna-sama for his approval.

Seto: *rises, bows* Thank you, Mito-hime. I appreciate your generosity with your time and you willingness to assist us with this.

Mito: *rises, bows* No thanks are necessary, it is merely my duty. In turn, I thank you for not forcing me to negotiate this with Madara-sama.

Seto: *winces* Nobody wants to see that again.

Mito: *smirking* Oh, I don’t know…

Seto: Please, Mito-hime, I really don’t want to be the wife of a Clan Head. Spare us all that.

Mito: *badly suppressed smile* Anything for family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might note that Tōka is asking for things that Kikiyo never mentioned in her conversation with Madara.
> 
> There are two reasons for that:
> 
> Firstly, Tōka is a Senju. Their marriage contracts are the worst, but even for regular contracts they believe in nailing things down so there are less arguments later. The Uchiha don’t do that. They work with unspoken social controls instead.
> 
> Secondly, Kikiyo is already under Madara’s power. As her Clan Head, if he chooses not to assign her dangerous missions, she has no viable means of protest. As an Uchiha, Kikiyo sees that as normal.
> 
> Tōka, on the other hand, as a member of a different clan from the people she is acting as a surrogate for, wants to make it really clear that they have no power over her. She doesn’t want them trying to take away her autonomy because the baby she’s growing will eventually be theirs. Her body, her choices.


	80. Obon, Autumn - Seto (28)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, things change.
> 
> (It’s a good thing.)

Seto is amazed.

This is only the fourth Bon Odori that the Senju have welcomed the Uchiha to, and it feels like the whole clan is here.

Despite Hashirama-sama’s invitation, only they and Madara-sama attended the second year, and a few more families joined them in the third year. But this year… !

Perhaps it is because of the Run last autumn when the entire clan Ran in the Forest of Death, the domain of Hashirama-sama, but there is no longer any fear of the trees. Instead everyone seems to take their shelter as a sign of safety and find comfort in it.

It is good to see the entire village together.

When Tōka-san sings 'Donpan Bushi’, everyone laughs and cheers. This year, she does not only name Senju, but she also names several Uchiha and describes their foolish behaviour when drunk. One of the newly named Uchiha chūnin blushes but mimics their behaviour when they got drunk celebrating their graduation and attempted to take off their clothing. A Senju pretends to drunkenly fight another in a spar before collapsing into a pile of leaves after taking a false hit to the chin.

Hashirama-sama ends the song by actually drinking a whole bottle of sake as Tōka-san boasts that he can drink more sake in a single night than anyone else in the village, and Madara-sama eyes him speculatively.

That will not go well but he is resigned to the behaviour of both of his Hokage by now.

At least any lingering alcohol sickness will be the problem of Senju-sama and Mito-hime rather than him.

As Mito-hime and the other Senju who are of Uzumaki descent dance to ‘Soran Bushi’ he watches his clan mates carefully for any sign of hostility, but there are none. There is much surprise but no one appears frightened or angry. It’s a better result than he could have hoped for.

And then, while the Senju singers are taking a rest, something happens that he did not expect.

Setsuna-kun gets up and starts to sing.

He must have arranged this with a friend, for a shakuhachi accompanies him as he sings ‘Miyagi Nagamochi Uta’.

He’d forgotten until now, but Setsuna-kun’s grandmother was a civilian from Kaminari no Kuni. This must be a song that he learned from her because it’s certainly not one local to Hi no Kuni. He himself only heard it at the daimyo’s court from an ambassador.

The song is slow and somewhat plaintive, but Setsuna-kun sings it well, staring at Ichika-kun the whole time.

Hm. Something to watch there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song that Setsuna sings is a real song and actually hails from Miyagi Prefecture, located in the Tōhoku region. Since that is where I located the Land of Lightning, it follows that the song must be from there in this AU.
> 
> You can find out a little about it [here](https://www.komuso.com/pieces/pieces.pl?piece=4395) and someone has kindly put a recording of it up [on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAhjLV9sqrY), but the lyrics are as follows:
> 
>  _Today is a good day, with good weather, for tying [two people/families] together in a bond._  
>  Don't miss your home village, daughter: it was only a temporary lodging.  
> (This daughter we raised, beautiful as a flower or a butterfly, today passes into another's hands.)
> 
> It’s appropriate for the first Bon Odori that the Uchiha and the Senju all spend together as a village since they are now tied together as a family by the marriage of Tobirama and Madara.
> 
> But it’s the way that Setsuna stares at Ichika - whose name means ‘One Thousand Flowers’ - that’s really ringing alarm bells in Seto’s head.


	81. Almost Time to Run (for the Fifth Time), Autumn - Hikaku (23)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you have an offer to make.
> 
> (But not where family can hear it.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning:
> 
> This chapter contains an explicit sex scene.
> 
> Please, read with care for yourself and skip if that is not for you.

Hikaku is content.

The family has gone to bed, and it is only them on the engawa looking at the moon.

Shujin is warm against his back, and the hand stroking over his hip is a promise that will shortly be fulfilled. Izuna-sama’s head is in his lap and the eyes staring up at him are dark pools in the moonlight.

Fingers tug at his obi and he smirks down at his husband. They have not told Izuna-sama what they will offer him if they Catch him tomorrow night and he is visibly impatient with the delay. The whining will start shortly.

“What are you waiting for! Just tell me!”

And there it is.

He should not find amusement in frustrating Izuna-sama but it’s irresistible sometimes.

“And what should I be telling you?” he inquires in his most demure tone. He can feel shujin’s silent laughter vibrating through his body.

But goshujin-sama has weapons of his own. A skilful hand parts his kimono and undoes his fundoshi before drawing him out into the night air. Goshujin-sama gives him a soft kiss before gently mouthing at the tip and he cannot stop a gasp from escaping him. Shujin’s hand on his hip is suddenly holding him in an iron grip and he’s pinned in place between them.

“That is not, not fair, goshujin-sama…” his voice is trembling.

He can feel goshujin-sama laughing in between licks. “We are shinobi. There is no such thing as fair for us. I am merely exploiting a well known weakness.”

Shujin’s laughter is no longer silent and kisses are being laid up and down his neck. Soon there will be teeth and he will lose all coherency as he dissolves in pleasure.

He has to say it before that happens.

Shujin’s voice is a deep rumble, felt as much as heard. “Tell him, yome. Tell him what we offer.”

It makes him shudder but he tries. “We, we ask your approval to offer intimacy and favour. For favour, we ask, ah!”

Shujin’s hand is between his legs now, stroking over his entrance. There are no more words. All he can do is moan.

“Yes,” goshujin-sama hisses. “Do that. Make him sound like that.”

He’s taken into goshujin-sama’s mouth and his world goes molten with heat.

Slick fingers press into him, only two, but it’s more than enough to make him spill into the mouth of his husband.

Goshujin-sama swallows his seed and carefully licks him clean, sliding the tip of the tongue under his foreskin just to make him twitch from oversensitivity. Shujin’s fingers in him press up and in once more, keeping him aroused even as he’s sated.

He’s panting and he knows that they’re not done with him yet.

He tries to gather what little of his mind remains.

“For favour, we ask, we ask… oh… ”

Shujin’s fingers won’t stop, and goshujin-sama’s are joining them. He can’t get enough breath to speak.

“Go straight to your intimacy offering,” goshujin-sama advises, voice hoarse from taking him in so deeply. “You’re not going to be able to talk at all soon.”

He says it all in a rush. “For intimacy, we ask that you allow us to touch you without allowing you to peak.”

Goshujin-sama freezes. “You want to bring me to the edge and stop.”

He can feel shujin’s nod against his shoulder. “Yes.”

Goshujin-sama’s fingers might have stopped moving, but shujin’s have not. He’s trembling between them. “We, we, want to see you…”

Goshujin-sama takes a deep breath. “How many times?”

“Until you ask for it.” Shujin’s voice in his ear is as much of a tease as the fingers in him.

Goshujin-sama’s fingers start moving again. “Agreed. If you Catch me tomorrow, you can torment me until I ask you to let me spill. But that means that tonight, now, I want yome.”

He wails. “Goshujin-sama! I can’t! Please!”

Thankfully, they take mercy on him.

The fingers pull out of him as goshujin-sama sits up, and shujin helps to arrange him astride goshujin-sama’s lap. His knees will barely hold him as he’s breeched, and he’s shaking like the last leaf of autumn. Shujin braces him from behind even as goshujin-sama thrusts up into him over and over again.

A slick hand strokes over him and his eyes fly open to see goshujin-sama watching him, Sharingan spinning.

Shujin’s arousal presses hot against him even as he feels shujin’s fingers play him like an instrument, drawing out pleasure instead of music. He knows that, as soon as goshujin-sama is finished, it will be shujin that is in him.

He’s already on fire, but the thought makes him burn hotter.

His hands fist in goshujin-sama’s hair. “Please, goshujin-sama, please. I want your seed in me. I want to feel both of you in me, shujin adding his seed to yours. I want to be filled. Please…” his voice trails off into a whimper as goshujin-sama pulls him down, grinding up into him at the same time.

Everyone stills and he feels wetness trickling down his thigh. The sensation makes him sigh with relief.

Then he’s lifted off goshujin-sama and shujin pushes into him roughly. He shouts, in surprise or desire he can’t tell. Perhaps both.

Now it’s goshujin-sama’s turn to brace him as he’s ridden instead of riding.

Each thrust pushes him forward into goshujin-sama who mouths all along his neck, kissing, licking, and biting. Fingers pull at his nipples, whose he can’t tell, and hands grip his hips.

It feels like his whole world is here between his husbands. Taken and overwhelmed, writhing between them, his voice calling out wordless pleas for more even as he has no idea what more he could be asking for.

And then he feels it. Shujin stills behind him, teeth sinking deep into his shoulder, even as he feels shujin jerking inside him. He groans with approval. “Oh yes.”

Goshujin-sama chuckles in front of him. “So now you find words again. Let me see if I can change that.”

Before shujin can even soften in him, he’s taken into goshujin-sama’s mouth for the second time that night. A single suck as a tongue strokes him and he spills all that he has left to give.

Goshujin-sama pulls off, licking his lips as if to chase down the last of a particularly tasty treat. “You two are still the best things I’ve ever had in my mouth.”

That makes him laugh breathlessly and soon they are both laughing with him.

He reaches out to catch goshujin-sama’s hand. “Are you sure? We don’t have to.”

Goshujin-sama’s smile is as wicked as his voice is ruined. “Oh, I want to. I really _want_ you two to Catch me.”


	82. Preparing to Run, Autumn - Seto (29)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you get a surprise.
> 
> (It’s a big surprise.)

Seto is annoyed.

Izuna-sama appears as calm as ever, but the way his eyes restlessly pass over the crowd that has come to see the beginning of the Run shows that he is looking for someone.

He’s looking for his friend and Senju-sama is not here.

Senju-sama is no longer Prey of course, and he was never very good at playing the role even when he was. Perhaps it’s because he never grew up with the expectations surrounding the Run, and so overturned all custom with such ease. Perhaps that’s also why he’s not here to see Izuna-sama off, to wish him luck the way a friend would.

Or… no. He’s wrong.

Senju-sama’s chakra ripples over all of them, wet and cool, utterly unlike anyone else.

But it’s different.

Usually, when Senju-sama kneads chakra for his sensory abilities, it’s done with a light touch. As precise and delicate as an insect landing on a still pond, the impact gentle but expanding out unmistakably.

This is not that.

This is a raptor striking the water to seize a fish. Still precise, but with much greater force.

And the emotions exposed are both tentative and longing.

Senju-sama is not seeking someone. He is calling someone.

Over and over, announcing his presence and asking to be hunted.

He scans the crowd and sees Senju-sama. But it’s a Senju-sama that he has never imagined, much less seen.

Usually Senju-sama strides confidently, boldly, uncaring of how anyone else will see him, knowing that he is unassailable.

This Senju-sama is coy, almost shy with the way he ducks his face into the collar of Madara-sama’s mantle. His hair is swept over his eyes, allowing him to peek out from behind the fringe, but it’s pulled into a tail and swept over his shoulder to allow the vulnerable nape of the neck to be seen.

His wrists are exposed by the burnt away sleeves of Madara-sama’s mantle, and he is wearing no pants at all. His feet are bare.

His steps are fluid, but also tentative, unsure, as he walks over to Izuna-sama. He visibly gains confidence as they speak.

Even so, from head to toe, every bit of his dress and body language screams Prey.

It appears that he underestimated Senju-sama’s ability to play the role after all.

When Senju-sama casts an inquiring look at him, he nods approvingly.

Madara-sama will certainly be running this night.

But that will not change his own plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter correlates directly to chapters 2 and 3 of _Caught and Captured_.


	83. Running (for the Fifth Time), Autumn - Hikaku (24)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, nothing else matters.
> 
> (The only thing that matters is right in front of you.)

Hikaku is staring at goshujin-sama.

There is some commotion around him about Senju-sama but he cannot bring himself to care about it.

He has only one target tonight and that is goshujin-sama.

The gong sounds and he sees goshujin-sama give them a little wiggle of his fingers before he races out of the compound on the heels of Senju-sama.

The wait for the second gong is torturous. He digs his nails into his palms, focusing on the small points of pain to force himself to stillness.

There!

They’re released and leave the gates right after Madara-sama who ignores them as completely as they ignore him.

They can feel Senju-sama, rolling his chakra over the forest like a wave. It’s a lure specifically for Madara-sama, but it also blankets Izuna-sama’s chakra, hiding it completely.

That’s fine.

Hikaku has never needed chakra to track his Prey.


	84. Caught, Autumn - Seto (29)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you get what you want.
> 
> (And it is beautiful.)

Seto is waiting patiently as koibito kneels on the rocky river bank.

Tracking is not one of his skills, but even he can see the trail that Izuna-sama has left. It’s made them both suspicious that it might be a false trail and that he might have doubled back to the river.

He uses his own sensory abilities to try and feel for Izuna-sama’s chakra, only to feel Senju-sama’s chakra wash over him. For a moment, his whole world feels like it’s underwater.

Senju-sama must be getting impatient. His calls are getting stronger.

And then, as if in counterpoint, a roar of fire erupts close by.

That’s Izuna-sama!

Yome and he exchange looks before heading immediately towards the pillar of flame that announces Izuna-sama’s location to the world.

When they crash into the clearing, Izuna-sama is sitting quietly in the middle of his barrier. He’s calm. In fact, he looks like he’s meditating.

His eyes open, the Sharingan flaring, and he smiles at their no doubt confused expressions. He stand up, dusts leaves off his mantle and says “Okay, I yield.”

Really? That’s it?

Koibito expresses bewilderment for both of them. “You do?”

Izuna-sama shrugs. “I don’t really want to be out here when nii-san Catches Tobi, and Tobi’s been kind enough never to interfere with our games. I don’t want to interfere with his.”

That makes sense and they both nod slowly.

Izuna-sama smirks at them. “Also, you made your intimacy offering sound really, really good.”

He can’t help it. He bursts into laughter.


	85. Captured, Autumn - Izuna (23)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you get what you want.
> 
> (Sometimes, you get what you need.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning:
> 
> Chapters 85 to 88 are a single sex scene that happens at the same time as chapters 6 to 10 of _Caught and Captured_.
> 
> If you’ve read chapter 11 of _Caught and Captured_ , you know exactly what’s about to happen to them, and that starts at the end of chapter 86.
> 
> I don’t consider it incest - nobody is having sex with anyone to whom they are related to - but if people having sex while trying _not_ to listen to other people in their family have sex is a trigger for you, you will probably want to jump right past this scene.
> 
> The sex scene will be explicit and contains consensual sex with a flavour very similar to BDSM power play.
> 
> Please, read with care for yourself and skip if that is not for you.

Izuna feels a little nervous.

He’s behind seals with Kikiyo on guard outside so, objectively, he’s about as safe as he can be during sex.

But he doesn’t feel safe.

He feels like Prey.

The way his husbands are staring at him as they circle around him, makes him feel wanted but in a way that feels vaguely threatening.

It’s thrilling, but also unsettling.

So he goes for a distraction.

He tugs on his mantle. “Can I take this off? That’s kind of the point, right? To be naked?”

Seto’s smile is sinister. “So eager? Certainly. But let me do that for you.”

He’s approached from the front, and Seto’s hands come to rest of his shoulders before trailing down over his arms to tangle their fingers together. His hands are brought up and kissed, before they’re turned over and Seto licks over the pulse point in his wrist.

“Your heart is beating so fast, goshujin-sama. Know that you are in our hands tonight and they are hands that love you. We only wish to bring you pleasure.”

That helps.

Seto looks up at him through long lashes, even as his wrists are caressed with kisses. “Of course, we will try to prolong that pleasure as much as possible.”

The sensation of breath on wet skin makes him shiver.

Suddenly, he realises that he’s lost track of his other husband. “Hikaku?”

“I am here, goshujin-sama.” Hikaku’s deep voice sounds right in his ear. How he missed that, he has no idea.

Warm hands come to rest on his hips, and Hikaku’s taller body presses against him from neck to knee. “I am here, and ready to please you.”

He tilts his head away, baring his neck, and Hikaku takes the unspoken invitation, laying soft, gentle kisses on the exposed skin. It’s only mouths on his neck and his wrists, but he’s already shuddering between them.

Seto lifts his hands up and steps in between them, and his arms wrap around his husband on instinct even as his mouth is taken.

Oh yes. This is so good.

Pinned in place between them, he barely feels it as their hands slowly strip his mantle from him, pulling off his weapons and laying them aside. He’s down to just his pants and only realises it when Seto breaks away to mouth at his chest.

His collarbones are licked, and then a whisper of breath is blown over them making him shiver again. He can already tell that this is going to a repeating pattern. Seto’s mouth moves lower, tracing his muscles until a tongue laves his nipple. It happens again. And again.

His whole body trembles with the desire to ask for more, but he retrains himself. This is for them, this is what they wanted, he can’t… he bites his lip.

Hikaku’s thumb presses against his mouth, drawing his lip out from between his teeth. “Please don’t hurt yourself, goshujin-sama. There is no need to keep yourself quiet. We want to hear you, see you, feel you. We want to set you aflame with desire and watch as you burn.”

The words paint an image that he wants. “Please,” he gasps out, “Please, I need more than this.”

Hikaku rewards him. The hand on his mouth moves to stroke his arousal, palming him through his pants. “As you wish, goshujin-sama. Your will is ours.”

The idea that they will do as he asks is intoxicating. The only restraints here tonight are the ones that he places on himself. For them. So that he can drive them wild with desire for him. It motivates him as nothing else could have.

He brings his arms up from around Seto’s shoulders to hold Hikaku’s head against his neck. “Then bite me. Mark me so that all may see I am yours.”

The teeth sinking into his neck are exactly what he wants.

The teeth biting harshly at his nipple are a surprise.

He lets out a choked yell, even as shujin laughs darkly.

Oh, that’s so, so, “not fair…” he whimpers.

“Didn’t you say there was no such thing as fair?” Hikaku whispers against his skin, licking the bite. “We are shinobi. You are weak to us, and we take shameless advantage.” The hand that was stroking his arousal slides smoothly between his pants and his skin, undoing his fundoshi and drawing it out slowly from between his legs. The cloth sliding over his skin brings all of his awareness to the place where they will enter him.

He wants that.

“Please, touch me. Touch me there.”

Hikaku laughs. “Here?” The hand strokes his arousal again, this time under his pants. Skin on skin is good, but it’s not where he wants it. He shakes his head. The hand moves lower, cupping his scrotum. He moans.

“No… You know where!”

Shujin reprimands him with another bite, to the other nipple this time. “You must say it, goshujin-sama. How will we know if you do not say? If you do not ask?”

So that’s the game. They’ll touch him as he asks, bring him to the peak, and then stop unless he demands that they bring him over.

Then he’ll ask.

“Touch me inside. Bring me to the peak that way and hold me there.”

Yome bites his neck again, deeper this time.

Shujin’s voice is a deep rumble. “As you wish.” 

His pants are slid down his hips and away even as slick fingers push between his legs, sliding into him. Yome’s fingers are still cupping him, holding him up and out of the way, so the fingers in him must be shujin’s. He can tell that much, but he’s rapidly losing track as the fingers press and stroke, driving him higher.

His knees are shaking, and it’s only yome’s strong arm around his waist that’s still keeping him upright. He fists his hands in the shoulders of yome’s mantle. “Can we… can we lie down, please? I don’t think I can do this for much longer.”

Shujin smiles against his nipple, licking it one more time before releasing it. “Your wish is our command, goshujin-sama.”

The words make him shudder as much as the sensation.

“Then do it. Lay me down and take me in love and desire.”


	86. Captured, Autumn - Hikaku (24)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you take what is yours.
> 
> (It is yours to take.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning:
> 
> This chapter continues the sex scene from the previous chapter and will have explicit sexual content.
> 
> Please, read with care for yourself and skip if that is not for you.

Goshujin-sama’s words inflame them all.

Shujin and he work quickly to bring them all to the futon, stripping goshujin-sama naked even as they throw off their own clothing. He climbs astride goshujin-sama and pins their husband down with his body as shujin works between their legs to open goshujin-sama so they may do as he asks.

He rolls their hips together, loving the moans that goshujin-sama releases. He bends his head to taste that neck, feeling the vibrations as their husband cries out for them.

His hands support his weight but also pin goshujin-sama’s wrists. He will not let go. This man is theirs.

He’s vaguely aware that he’s talking in between kisses, but takes no real notice of the words that he’s saying. He only hears snatches of it, in between the noises that goshujin-sama is making. “Ours… Love you… Take you, have you forever… Never let you go… Hold you precious always… Finally enough for you… Let everyone know that you belong to us…”

Shujin’s hand strokes over his back. “Shh, yome. Goshujin-sama is here, he is ours. We have Caught him, now we need only claim him. Come, he is ready for you.”

Shujin pulls him off goshujin-sama and he almost fights to break away before he realises what he’s needed for.

They roll and goshujin-sama’s eyes widen with surprise as he’s positioned between them. He pushes his hips up against goshujin-sama’s arousal once before positioning himself at the entrance.

Shujin reaches from behind to place a palm on each of goshujin-sama’s thighs, pinning them, as he thrusts up into the body of his husband. Goshujin-sama throws his head back onto shujin’s shoulder, groaning. “Yome! Deeper!”

He obeys, grinding up into the body of his beloved as shujin moves a hand in between them to trace where they are joined.

“Oh! Please, that, again!” Goshujin-sama’s hands fly up to tangle in shujin’s long hair.

That gives him an idea. “Lean him forward, let me take his weight. Then you may touch him freely.”

Shujin’s smile is a thing of evil. “That is a marvellous thought.”

“What are you…?” Goshujin-sama is still thinking too much. They want to make him lose his mind. Hopefully, this will do it.

His arms open to receive goshujin-sama’s body and he welcomes the weight. He spreads his legs to make room for shujin, using his own body to widen goshujin-sama’s kneeling stance astride his hips.

His hands stroke soothingly over goshujin-sama’s thighs, tracing the strong muscles that are shaking with tension, even as he thrusts upwards. “Let us have you. Let us love you.”

Goshujin-sama’s head drops to rest on his shoulder. “I can’t think.”

He noses the ear so close to his mouth, mouthing the edge. “Then don’t think. Just feel us. Feel how we want you. Feel how we love you.”

Fingers trace around him, stroking goshujin-sama’s entrance, pressing where they are joined as intimately as they can be. They both cry out. “Shujin!”

Shujin’s laugh is low and soft. “Ah, you’re so beautiful together.”

And then a tongue is licking them. Licking them both.

Oh, with the way that they both love shujin’s mouth, he should have known that this would happen!

He desperately wants to move, but forces himself into stillness.

The sensation is too good to give up so soon.

If he moves, he will spill, and he doesn’t want that.

Goshujin-sama’s moans express both disappointment and desire. “I can’t hold it. I want to, for you, but, it’s so, so…”

They lie there, trembling under the pleasure that shujin gives them, his hands stroking as much bare skin as he can, trying to calm his husband. “Shh, be calm, be still, this is for you. Ask for what you want, and we will give.”

Goshujin-sama is keening. “I want, I want, I…”

And then a flare of chakra filled with arousal passes over them.

Shujin freezes in surprise as both he and goshujin-sama spill immediately.

That was… unexpected.


	87. Captured, Autumn - Seto (29)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you get a surprise.
> 
> (And it’s not the surprise you expected.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning:
> 
> This chapter continues the sex scene from the previous chapter and will have explicit sexual content.
> 
> Please, read with care for yourself and skip if that is not for you.

Seto is confused.

That was not part of the plan.

Not that much tonight has gone according to plan.

But this was definitely not part of any plan in any shape or form.

Goshujin-sama lifts his head from yome’s shoulder. “Was that… nii-san?”

He can only nod. “Yes. And I think - ”

Another flare passes over them, closely followed by a wave of chakra, this one water cool and liquid. Both are filled with arousal and passion.

Goshujin-sama drops his head again and starts to laugh. “Gods! They’re having sex right now! And we can feel it! I can’t believe it!”

Yome makes a face. It’s equal parts bewilderment and embarrassment. “How-? Why-?”

Well, that’s obvious. “Madara-sama must have finally caught Senju-sama. They’ve lost control. It’s not intentional.”

Goshujin-sama’s laughter is verging on the hysterical. “I never wanted to know this about nii-san! Never! What are we going to do?”

As always, yome is practical. “We can’t stop them. Either we stop ourselves and wait until they’re done, or we continue and distract you as best we can. We cannot hold ourselves short of the peak, they’re too distracting. We must either push forward or stop.”

Well, he knows which way he would like things to go, but it’s goshujin-sama who is truly the one who matters here. He is the one who is most closely bonded to both Madara-sama and Senju-sama. Yome and he can ignore what they may learn about their Clan Head, but those two are goshujin-sama’s brothers, one by blood and one by choice.

He drapes himself over goshujin-sama, breathing deeply to instil calm. “We will do nothing that you do not want. Our goal for the night is still the same as it was. We will bring you pleasure in safety, as you request it.” He meets yome’s eyes over goshujin-sama’s head. They are in agreement.

Goshujin-sama breathes deeply several times, and then must do it again as the entwined chakras of both Madara-sama and Senju-sama bathe them again. His voice sounds strained. “Keep going. I’ll ride Tobi’s chakra. You touch me and distract me, and I’ll do my best not to think about nii-san.”

Very well. “As you wish, goshujin-sama.”

He bends his head to his work again, licking up the seed that is leaking out of goshujin-sama, to their twin moans.

This is something that he can provide.


	88. Claimed - Izuna (23)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you don’t know what you want.
> 
> (Sometimes, you get it anyway.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning:
> 
> This chapter continues the sex scene from the previous chapter and will have explicit sexual content.
> 
> Please, read with care for yourself and skip if that is not for you.

Izuna is shaking.

He’s reached his peak more times than he can count in his exhaustion, and more times than he knew anyone would be able to.

Tobi is astonishing.

For a guy who previously had all the sexual awareness of a plant, this is bewilderingly wanton.

Oh, and it’s happening again.

He’s riding yome again, and he’s so filled with seed that it’s leaking everywhere. His thighs are coated, and the futon is a wreck.

He’s had both of them inside him tonight, been inside both of them, and even had yome take him while he was inside shujin. They’re all sore and tired.

And yet, despite being filled with yome, he still feels an empty ache.

“Shujin, please, I need more than this…”

That’s something he’s said a lot in the last few hours too.

Shujin licks him and he lets himself become dead weight on yome, even as yome pushes into him.

It’s good, but it’s not enough. 

“Please, I need something more.”

He has no idea what, but he needs something else, and quickly before Tobi peaks again, though they seem to be taking it slower this time around.

Shujin pushes a finger inside him and he tenses up all over.

That was unexpected.

Well, he did ask for more.

He breaths out, exhaling the sudden tension.

As he relaxes, shujin pushes in and out, adding more oil to ease the way. The stretch is intense but not painful, and it only gets more so as shujin adds more fingers.

He’s beginning to have an idea of where this is going.

Yome does too. “Shujin? Are you really…?”

Shujin cuts yome off with his mouth, licking up the seed where it’s being pushed out of him by shujin’s fingers, laving both of them intimately in the process.

“Oh, yes. Goshujin-sama has asked. Do you agree, koibito?”

He can feel yome’s nod against the top of his head.

“I agree too, just in case anyone wants to know.” That gets him a slap to the rear even as shujin adds another finger. He’s starting to get a little worried that shujin might actually be intending to fit his entire hand in there when the fingers are withdrawn and he feels something else, larger and hotter than fingers press into him.

He can’t help groaning in relief. “Ohh, yes. That’s good, so good. Having both of you, together, I want…”

Shujin thrusts hard, making yome yelp. “Shujin!”

Shujin draws back before rolling his hips and pushing in again. “Now, yome. In counterpoint. Follow my rhythm.”

And he does. They do.

The feel of them, shujin pushing in just as yome pulls back, both of them constantly moving within him, relentless and inexorable, a smooth slide as he’s pinned between them, convulsing with pleasure as he chokes out cries of their names.

It’s unbearable. He’s going to lose his mind and stay like this forever.

And then Tobi peaks, chakra washing over him like a tidal wave, bringing him crashing down into his body again as he ripples around them, spilling his seed onto yome.

They both shudder as he clenches tight, jerking inside him as they spill also, leaking out where he’s too full to contain anymore.

They all collapse, waiting to see if it will happen again.

But nothing does.

They all breathe matching sighs of relief.

And then shujin starts to laugh.

That sets them all off.

It only gets worse when Kikiyo clears her throat awkwardly from outside the shōji.

“So, do you want me to run a bath?” Her voice is strained, with embarrassment or hilarity he can’t tell.

He can’t talk, he’s laughing too hard, so he flaps a tired hand at shujin who seems to be the only one with any energy left.

“Yes, please.” Shujin calls back. “And perhaps we will need a new futon. I think we might want to burn this one.”

“I told you,” yome whispers in his ear. “Shujin is always right.”

That only makes him laugh harder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now you know why Izuna said that he got very little sleep in chapter 11 of _Caught and Captured_.
> 
> Because he was up all night doing _this_.
> 
> Zanahoria described Madara and Tobirama's chakra enhanced sex as 'something like the equivalent of those bang and scream couples, but with speakers’, and that’s pretty much accurate.
> 
> No one in the triad is traumatised by this incident, but they definitely now know more about their Clan Head and their Senju-sama than they’d rather know.
> 
> This was not the chakra equivalent of sex pollen. Nobody had to have sex. The triad chose to, as did Mito and Hashirama, but a lot of people didn’t.
> 
> Kagami, for example, spent the whole night with his head under his pillow while his mom talked at him through the shōji about how nice it was that their Clan Head is so in love with Senju-sama. (She doesn't want Kagami to run off and join Madara-sama's line and this is a good way of making sure he knows what he's in for if he officially joins their household.)
> 
> All the Uchiha and Senju who are prudes did exactly what Kagami did and hid.
> 
> Only there was no hiding.
> 
> Thus _they’re_ all mentally traumatised - but not a lot. Just hella embarrassed.


	89. Lunar New Year, Spring - Seto (29)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you get unexpected visitors.
> 
> (Who tell you what you want to know.)

Seto is happy.

The whole family is here for the celebration, including Madara-sama and Senju-sama.

And they have brought a guest.

The leader of Uzushio is in his house.

Not the Clan Head of the Uzumaki, but the elected leader of Uzushio.

She’s here to see Hashirama-sama and be impregnated with Senju-sama’s baby.

Now they all know why Madara-sama and Senju-sama made no announcements about their surrogate - someone so well known and visible would be a target for assassination, even if they weren’t carrying the baby of Senju-sama. As it is, Senju-sama and Madara-sama will be accompanying her right back to Uzushio after as extra security for her and the child before they return to their duties in the village, and the baby will be born in Uzushio.

She’s said only good things about his family, and exclaimed over the food, praising the oden and his mother’s wagashi especially. Even now, she’s getting drunk with Hashirama-sama on the grounds that she will not be drinking again until the baby is born.

Kikiyo has already pulled out extra futons for them and Mito-hime. Neither of them are going to be walking home tonight, and they will need extra miso soup in the morning to combat the alcohol sickness. Perhaps adding some of the clams that Senju-sama brought back from Uzushio to the soup would be a nice touch of home for Uzumaki-sama.

He’s making a mental note to add it when he feels Tōka-san walking up to the genkan.

He almost bolts for the door, but forces himself to walk decorously so that they arrive at the same time.

She hasn’t said anything about their request since Tanabata last year, and it’s been just under half a year of waiting. They’re happy to wait as long as she needs, but there’s no denying that they’re keen to know her answer. They’ve allowed her to lead this dance and been friendly without pressuring her for more. He hopes that they have proven themselves honourable and trustworthy to be given her help, especially since she’s requested no compensation. If she chooses to assist them, it will be a gift and they will honour it as such.

He can’t bring himself to wait for her to call out though, and opens the door while she’s still walking up. He bows. “Tōka-san. Welcome to our humble home. We are glad to have you as a guest.”

She looks awkward. “Uh, sorry for the intrusion. I really didn’t intend to stay, I just came to tell you my decision.”

He looks up immediately. “Yes?”

She smiles at him. It’s not her normal smirk, heavily laced with sardonic amusement, but a genuine smile of happiness. “I’m agreeing to six. One year pregnant and the next year not. It’ll take 11 years, but the peace has definitely calmed things down and I mostly do training now anyway. Also, Hikaku’s going to take the combined Jōnin commander role soon, so I’ll have more time to myself.”

Koibito comes up behind him. “I will?”

Tōka-san actually laughs. “You will - I’m turning my responsibilities over to you. You’ve trained with all of the Senju shinobi, from the most newly graduated genin to the old ones like us who fought in the war, and won their respect. That’s what took the longest actually. I spent most of the winter talking to all of the Senju and getting Mito-hime’s agreement to it.”

And they never knew.

Mito-hime is in their house right now, and she never said a word, nor indicated any of this.

It only reminds him that she’s just as terrifying as he’s always thought.

Now Tōka-san is smirking. “You’re welcome to all of my paperwork, though I’ll still help with training in between taking missions.”

Koibito makes a face but looks resolved. No shinobi he knows actually likes paperwork, although Senju-sama comes close. “I would gladly do all of it, even if you did not choose to help us with this, Tōka-san.”

She nods. “I know, and that’s one of the reasons I will. Because you’re a good person, you want this, and I can do it.”

He holds out his hands and she takes them, voluntarily making herself defenceless in front of them, trusting koibito to guard them both. “We thank you Tōka-san, from our hearts, for helping us to make this dream a reality.”

Izuna-sama bursts into the genkan behind him. “SHE SAID YES?!”

Tōka-san starts to roar with laughter. He can feel her body shaking where he’s still holding her hands. “I SAID YES!” she yells back.

Everyone in the house comes tumbling out. He lets go of Tōka-san as they’re surrounded by a whole crowd of people, all cheering and celebrating. 

Senju-sama hugs his cousin tightly as they rest their foreheads together, white hair and black mingling. Mito-hime stands on the top step of the engawa, an arm wrapped around the waist of her cousin, Uzumaki-sama. Hashirama-sama is thumping Madara-sama on the back and yelling about niblings.

Kikiyo makes the hand sign for mission completion at him and he can’t help but laugh. His parents watch them with beaming smiles. Koibito’s mother is crying in her husband’s arms, and his siblings hoist the children into the air and shout.

Koibito embraces him from behind even as Izuna-sama burrows into his arms, ducking a little to tuck a dark head under his chin. “We’re going to have a _baby_.” he whispers.

He kisses the top of Izuna-sama’s head. “We will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tōka is twenty four in this chapter and she calls herself old because the average life expectancy during the war was thirty to forty. She feels old because she’s outlived the war that she always thought was going to kill her.


	90. Omake - Spring Planting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, medical procedures do not go as expected.
> 
> (They really, really don’t.)

Hashirama: *resting a hand on Uzumaki Namika’s stomach* Almost there, you can do it! There’s a seed right ahead! Nooo, don’t turn around!

Uzumaki Namika: *giggling* Good gods.

Hashirama: That’s right! Good! Go, go, go! So close! And there! You did it!

Uzumaki Namika: *laughing outright* So I take it that my seed is fertilised then.

Hashirama: *beaming smile* Yes! Now you just have to stay where I can check on you for another day or two so that I can make the seed settles properly in the soil and you don’t have a seed in the wrong spot. That’s not happening if I can stop it!

Uzumaki Namika: *getting off the futon* And I appreciate your efforts, Hashirama-sama. Now, I think I’ll give my fellow surrogate some privacy and go back to your house with my cousin. I need to talk to her, Uzumaki to Uzumaki.

Mito: *smirking* Certainly, Namika-chan.

Hashirama: *waves cheerfully* Bye, Uzumaki-san!

Mito and Uzumaki Namika: *leave the room, laughing*

Hashirama: *turns to Tōka* Your turn!

Tōka: *makes a face of reluctant amusement* Do you have to?

Hashirama: Yes! If you want a baby, I have to! I can’t keep track of exactly which bits of pollen I’m helping otherwise!

Tōka: *resignedly* Fine. Pollinate me then.

Izuna: *chokes* That sounds _so wrong_.

Tobirama: I do not see what is wrong with it.

Izuna: The fact that you don’t makes me worry about your entire clan.

Tobirama: Well, my clan is now your clan, so you would be worrying about yourself.

Izuna: Exactly! I worry about what we’ve done bringing your plant based thinking into it!

Tōka: *punches the closest shoulder - it’s Izuna’s* SHUT UP AND GO AWAY! This isn’t helping! Send Seto in, it’s his pollen anyway.

Izuna: But it’s my line!

Tōka: If you want a baby, you’ll go away and let the actual medical professional handle it rather than complaining about the way he does it. At least Seto knows when to be quiet.

Izuna: *throws up his hands* Fine!

Izuna: *tows Tobirama out of the room by the wrist* SETO! BABY MAKER WANTS YOU TO HOLD HER HAND!

Tōka: *yelling at the door* I NEVER SAID THAT! I JUST SAID THAT HE’S BETTER AT BEING QUIET THAN YOU!

Hikaku: *faintly, from outside the room* Perhaps you might not want to call Tōka-san that?

Tōka: IT’S FINE! I’M THE WALKING WOMB ANYWAY!

Seto: *entering* It’s still disrespectful, Tōka-san.

Tōka: *shrugging* Neither Hikaku nor you will call me anything other than ‘Tōka-san’, Izuna’s disrespect balances you both out pretty well.

Hashirama: Do you have the pollen Seto-san?

Seto: *holds out a glass container of semen* As you requested, Hashirama-sama.

Tōka: *taking off her pants* I’d forgotten about this bit from last time.

Seto: *shuts his eyes immediately* A little warning might be nice, Tōka-san. I don’t want to invade your privacy.

Tōka: *lying down on the futon* This is nothing. Hikaku once had to stitch up a gash on my thigh after I moved wrong on the training field. After fingers digging in my wound looking for debris, someone watching me get pollinated doesn’t even register.

Hashirama: *taking the container of semen out of Seto’s hand* And you need to witness anyway, Seto-san. You clan will need verification that the baby is yours.

Seto: *opens eyes but looks only at Hashirama* You truly do not mind, Tōka-san?

Tōka: I absolutely do not care. This is not my first time at this, and I was never particularly body shy. I fully intend to break at least one bone during delivery anyway.

Hashirama: *aghast* I numbed your nerves last time, Tōka-nee! You never had to do that!

Tōka: I was trying to make him feel better!

Hashirama: Threats of injury make people feel better?

Seto: *watching as Hashirama applies semen to Tōka’s cervix* Surprisingly, in this case, yes.

Hashirama: Okay, no talking now, I need to concentrate.

*silence for a while*

Hashirama: *muttering* Little bit more… go higher… NO!

Seto: *wincing* No?

Tōka: *grabs his hand* It’s fine.

Hashirama: *bellowing* WRONG WAY YOU IDIOTS!

Seto: Ah.

Hashirama: I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS! Finally! Yes, that’s right, keep going! There’s a seed right there! For the love of… ! It doesn’t matter which of you fertilises the seed! You’re all pollen from the same person!

Tōka: *starts laughing quietly*

Hashirama: These are the stupidest pollen I’ve ever seen! Why won’t you just - !

Seto: *gripping Tōka’s hand tightly, doing deep breathing to calm himself*

Hashirama: That’s right! Good job! Well done!

Seto: *exhales with relief*

Tōka: *laughing loudly* All done?

Hashirama: *proudly* Done! You know how this goes, come back to the house with me, and I’ll check you over at the same time as Uzumaki-san. We’ll do it every hour, and don’t complain if I wake you up!

Tōka: *wriggling back into her pants* You try not complaining when you wake up to cold hands poking you in the gut!

Hashirama: You still didn’t need to hit me!

Tōka: It was a reflex!

Seto: *faintly* Somehow, this explains so much about your family. I’m amazed that Senju-sama is so calm.

Tōka: With Hashirama for a brother, he had to be.

Hashirama: HEY!

Seto: *bows* No offence meant, Hashirama-sama. Our clan and our line are very grateful for your help.

Hashirama: *bows back* No, no, happy to help! Uh, and sorry about calling your pollen stupid. They’re just.. directionally challenged?

Izuna: *sticks his head in the door* Seto’s sperm got _lost_?

Tōka: Apparently.

Izuna: How does that even happen?

Tobirama: *from outside* Fairly frequently from the way Anija complains about it.

Hikaku: *also from outside* Really?

Seto: *blushing* Can we discuss this somewhere else? Less public than the hospital?

Izuna: Let’s do it at home. I can’t wait to tell your mother how your sperm got _lost_.

Seto: *face palm*

Tōka: *pats Seto on the shoulder* Don’t worry. This is not going to be the most embarrassing thing that will ever happen to you now that you’ve chosen to have a kid.

Izuna: *looks faintly panicked* It’s not?

Seto, Hikaku, Tōka, Tobirama, and Hashirama: *all together* No, it’s not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What actually happened was that Seto’s sperm were going up a fallopian tube that didn’t have a fertilised egg in it. Only one ovary releases an egg each cycle so there’s a fifty-fifty chance they’ll pick the wrong tube. I’m guessing it probably happens pretty often. I can’t say for sure as I’m not a doctor.
> 
> Also, the idea that sperm compete with each other to fertilise an egg in humans was a theory that was advanced in the 1990s by [biologist Robin Baker](https://www.ulm.edu/~palmer/SpermWars.htm). A [1999 experiment](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/1999/12/no-evidence-sperm-wars) succeeded in disproving that the sperm attack each other, but the sperm do wriggle around furiously. I figured that might look enough like sperm arguing about who was going to fertilise the egg for Hashirama - who tends to anthropomorphise everything anyway since he talks to trees that no one else can hear - to bitch them out for it.
> 
> Lastly, Hashirama’s concern that the egg might end up implanting in the wrong spot is actually quite valid. If the embryo attaches outside of the uterus, most commonly in the fallopian tubes, it’s an ectopic pregnancy.
> 
> I’ll quote wikipedia here:
> 
> _It is the most common cause of death among women during the first trimester at approximately 10% of the total. In the developed world outcomes have improved while in the developing world they often remain poor. The risk of death among those in the developed world is between 0.1 and 0.3 percent while in the developing world it is between one and three percent. The first known description of an ectopic pregnancy is by Al-Zahrawi in the 11th century. The word "ectopic" means "out of place”._
> 
> I’ve had one myself and it was not fun. I can’t imagine Hashirama, a healer who could sense it happening, not taking steps to stop it if he could. In my head that would be several hours of anxious waiting for the pregnant lady while Hashirama kept his hand on her tummy and made “Move along now! That’s right!” conversation with the embryo.
> 
> On a totally separate note, Hashirama’s speech patterns when talking to sperm are a cross between baby talking - when they’re doing what he wants - and yelling - when they’re not. In my head, he sounds like those guys in sports bars who yell at the screen when the football is on.


	91. Hanami, Spring - Hikaku (24)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you eat.
> 
> (With family.)

Hikaku looks up at the sakura trees.

All of the sakura trees are in bloom. The ume trees too, and the scent of their blossoms is heady in the air.

He feels intoxicated but he is not drunk.

In fact, no one is.

As Tōka-san and Uzumaki-sama are not drinking alcohol, everyone else has decided to forgo the pleasure as well. Instead, everyone is concentrating on the food.

Last year, it was only they, Senju-sama, and Mito-hime who brought bento. This year, it appears that everyone has. All of the tiered boxes are spread out and everyone is helping themselves. Uzumaki-sama has even brought along seafood tempura as a last gift to her hosts before she returns to Uzushio.

It is all delicious.

He is stuffed full of food and resting against shujin, but goshujin-sama is eyeing the last of the namagashi. His chopsticks flash towards it, but his hand is knocked away by Senju-sama who reaches for it instead. Goshujin-sama does not give up and the two of them end up scuffling for it like little boys until Mito-hime delicately picks it up and eats it while they are distracted.

Senju-sama shrugs and accepts his defeat with good will, but goshujin-sama whines. He reaches out and pulls his husband to him, tangling his fingers in goshujin-sama’s hair and tugging. “You know we can always make more.”

“But that was the hanami namagashi! We only get that once a year!”

“And you’ve already had three pieces.” he reminds his husband.

“I was going to give it to Tōka.” goshujin-sama pouts, but Tōka-san bursts into raucous laughter at the very idea.

“You were not! I don’t even like sweets!” she hoots, taking another dumpling instead. “But Seto’s dumplings are amazing. I could eat these all year and not get sick of them.”

Hm.

He looks at shujin only to find the absent minded look that means shujin is already lost in menu planning.

He’s sure that his midday meals will soon include another serving for Tōka-san. Perhaps he should see about arranging for another hakozen for their office since Tōka-san usually eats plain onigiri straight from the sealing scroll.

From the smirk that he is receiving, Goshujin-sama is obviously reading his mind.

He makes a face back.

It’s not wrong to care for a friend.


	92. Tanabata, Autumn - Izuna (23)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, people wish you well.
> 
> (It feels good.)

Izuna is amused.

This year, everyone has written a tanzaku. There has been no thought to how childish the ritual is, and no one is holding themselves above it. Instead, every single member of their families has written a wish for their babies to be born safely in the winter. 

In fact, looking at the unusually large number of tanzaku fluttering on the bamboo grove that Hashirama-sama has grown, he suspects that several members of the clan who don’t usually participate have also written one.

It makes him happy to know that they wish them well.

He volunteered to tie the tanzaku for the children on this year, but they wanted to do it themselves. So he has a four year old sitting on his shoulders as she makes her second attempt. She’s already ruined one string, and he suspects that this one will prove to be as much a failure as the previous attempt. No, he’s wrong. He holds onto her ankle with one hand as he uses a finger on his other hand to press the first knot in place while she ties a second knot on top of it.

“Well done!” he praises her, and she bends forward to place a slightly messy kiss on the top of his head. He has food in his hair and he doesn’t even care. How things have changed.

“Shall we go see if your brother has done a good job?” From the way she’s yanking on his hair to direct him, the answer is a definite yes.

He walks around to the other side of the grove to check on Tobi, who’s taken on the harder task of wrangling the seven year old.

And, just as he suspected, the boy is standing on Tobi’s shoulders, balancing precariously on his tiptoes as he stretches to reach the branch that he wants. He flares his Sharingan to check and yes, Tobi has indeed stuck the boy to himself with chakra. He laughs.

“Need some help?” he asks as innocently as he can, and Tobi sends him a nasty look.

“No!” the boy yells, “I can do it on my own!”

Tobi lifts a hand and the boy takes the invitation, using it as a stable platform to get higher to finally reach the position he wants. His fine motor control has definitely improved and the tanzaku is tied on without much fuss.

The boy tries to jump down and has to be persuaded to climb instead before he runs off to tell his parents of his success. His sister, not to be outdone, kicks him with a heel to show that she wants to be set down as well. Tobi lifts her off and sets her on the ground to pursue her brother.

“You have food in your hair.” Tobi tells him, smirking.

“I know.” He tries to comb it out with his fingers.

“Let me,” Tōka says, coming up behind him. “You’re just smearing it.” Her nimble fingers make quick work of it, and soon the bits of rice are removed. “All done. You’ll have to wash to get the sauce out.”

Ugh. There was sauce too?

They can obviously read the thought on his face from the way they both smile evilly at him. It’s times like this that the relationship between them is obvious. He throws up his hands. “Fine! I’ll take a trip to the baths before the festival tonight.”

Tōka makes a mournful face. “I wish I could do that. I’d forgotten that being pregnant meant no long soaks.”

“You can still have a short soak, oneesan. You just have get out before you get dizzy.” Tobi reminds her.

“I’d be happy to heat up the water again once you want to go back in.” he offers. Their project to apply heat seals to baths and basins has definitely worked, but the water is never as hot as a katon applied directly to the water.

She looks happier. “Really? Thanks! I didn’t want to make someone stoke up the fire a second time just for me to soak again, but I’d happily take that offer.”

“We’ll go together. I’ll stay until you’re done.”

Tobi is shaking his head. “She will not want to leave. Oneesan loves to soak. She will just get right back in after a short break and keep doing it.”

Well, that’s fine. “Then she should use the Uchiha baths. There’s always someone in there to heat the water.”

Tōka looks a little concerned. “Won’t the rest of your clan mind?”

“Not at all,” Kikiyo interjects. “You’re carrying the child of our clan heir.”

Now it’s his turn to smirk. “Privileges of being a baby maker.”

She sticks her tongue out at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The gesture that Tōka uses is not akanbē which, although commonly seen in anime and canonically used in the Naruto anime, isn’t actually mentioned in Japanese fiction until the author Katai Tayama uses it in his 1909 story Inaka Kyōshi (田舎教師, "Rural Teacher”).
> 
> Instead, it’s the more standard sticking out a tongue gesture which was actually in use during the Edo Period. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has an example of it in the woodblock print ‘Mother and Child’ which can be found [here](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/54865).
> 
> Tōka is about 25 weeks pregnant in this chapter and definitely showing.


	93. Obon, Autumn - Seto (29)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you cook.
> 
> (For family.)

Seto is content.

Tōka-san is carrying his child and the baby is healthy by all reports. She eats his food, carefully chosen to offer both the freshest of seasonal dishes and extra nutrition for the child. Either he or Izuna-sama delivers the food daily, and Tōka-san has completely given up on bringing her own food for the midday meal, instead choosing to eat with koibito on the hakozen they have given her.

She has slowed down a little as she has grown heavier with child, but still spars on the training field with her trainees and takes the occasional mission. He’s seen her occasionally massaging her lower back and has plans to help with that if she will let him.

As soon as Obon is over, Kikiyo will become pregnant with Madara-sama’s baby. Hashirama-sama has offered his assistance and they have gratefully accepted. Senju-sama and Madara-sama will be in the village for the early part of the pregnancy but will be away for the winter. When they return, they will, hopefully, bring home their first child.

His child, their child, will be born in the winter as well.

He can hardly wait.

Everything is going well, and he feels happy as he cooks the feast for the family, living and dead.

Tonight, they will welcome the ancestors and celebrate their growing family.

He blows on the soup and offers it to his mother to taste.

She smiles at him and takes the spoon. “Delicious. Will you be bringing some for Tōka-san’s meal at midday?”

He nods. “I will. I don’t want to give her too much since Hashirama-sama’s family will have a large meal in the evening.”

His mother laughs. “She’s still an active shinobi. Feed her as one and pack as much as you do for yome, with extra for the baby. She can always eat less tonight.”

He makes a face. “You just want to prove that your recipes are better than Mito-hime’s.”

His mother bares her teeth at him. It’s not a smile. “I do.”

He can’t help but laugh.

But he packs the large bento anyway.


	94. Obon, Autumn - Hikaku (24)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you eat.
> 
> (With family.)

Hikaku is amused.

Shujin has brought the large bento. There is no possibility of their eating all of it, even with the three of them.

Tōka-san shares his amusement. “I’m pregnant with one baby, not five! How much do you think I eat?”

Shujin shrugs even as he offers an embarrassed smile. “Okaasan insisted. And I am here to help.”

Tōka-san opens her hakozen. “Okay, then let’s see what you made.”

Shujin unpacks the box. One by one, unagi, somen, dumplings, pickles, soup, and melon are all lifted out. Tōka-san starts laughing halfway through and doesn’t stop even as shujin adds food to her bowls. “This is crazy! It’s like a little feast!”

Hikaku nods at her. “It is. It’s what we will be eating tonight and offering to the ancestors.”

She smiles at both of them. It’s the genuine one that she only uses when she’s honestly pleased. “Then thank you for including me, even though it’s too much.”

“Itadakimasu.” they all say before they begin to eat. All is silent for a while until shujin clears his throat.

“Actually, I suspect that okaasan wishes to prove to you that her food is better than Mito-hime’s.”

That gets a sardonic smile from Tōka-san. “A truly shinobi motivation. And it wouldn’t be hard. Tobirama was always the best chef in the family.”

Shujin and he look at each other. Senju-sama is a reasonable cook, but his dishes are utilitarian, mostly rice bowls. Madara-sama is a little better, but not much. The two of them often join their family for dinner, usually several times a week. The idea that Mito-hime might not be as good a chef as Senju-sama…

“And Hashirama-sama?” he enquires delicately.

Tōka-san snorts rudely even as she puts a dumpling in her mouth. “Burns water.”

Shujin sends her a look of disbelief.

“He gets distracted.” she explains. “Something will attract his attention and then the pot boils dry. Tobirama got a lot of practice putting out fires when Hashirama was trying to learn to cook.”

That’s a terrifying thought.

Shujin looks resolved. “The next time Hashirama-sama and Mito-hime go to Madara-sama’s house for a meal, I must make the food.”

Tōka-san grins. “And it will be a vast improvement.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somen is a food associated with Obon and is meant to help visiting ancestors wrap up their belongings with the noodle threads when they return to the other world.


	95. Obon, Autumn - Izuna (23)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you watch your family.
> 
> (And wonder.)

Izuna is amused and slightly sad.

Nii-san insisted on being the one to lay out the flowers on the altar this year, and is tenderly stroking the petals of the white chrysanthemums before he places them carefully.

They haven’t had any dreams for two years now and he knows that nii-san has been hoping the whole time to receive a visit from Kuro-hime. The conversation that he wishes to have is not something that he has talked about, but it’s been obvious to everyone. Even Tobi knows, although he’s kept his skepticism to himself. Tobi’s never dreamed of any of his ancestors or his siblings and performs the rituals of Obon as much out of tradition as belief as far as he can tell.

It makes him sadder to think that Tobi’s never had that comfort, rare though it is.

Still, the idea that nii-san will somehow persuade Kuro-hime to visit is a little amusing. She was always wilful in life, and he doesn’t think that she’d be any less in death.

He’s not going to say anything though.

Instead, he merely hands the red camellias over when nii-san holds out his hands for them before placing the cups for the sake.

The dead will visit as they will, and it’s not his place to know their reasons.

However, he hopes, for nii-san’s sake, for good dreams this year.


	96. Obon, Autumn - Madara (25)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you dream.
> 
> (Of your brother.)

Madara is dreaming.

He can tell.

It has that slightly unreal feel that he associates with either a dream or a genjutsu, and he has already activated his Sharingan to check.

He is sitting on their engawa, overlooking the koi pond. He can see Izuna’s medaka darting about in there. He can’t see yome, but he somehow knows that Tobirama is in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

Next to him sits nii-san.

It’s so strange.

He was only ten when nii-san died, and he always looked up to nii-san as a giant on the battlefield, second only to their father. Now, he’s larger than nii-san who is frozen at the age of his death.

He doesn’t dare to look, but stretches out a shaking arm, hoping to feel his brother again.

Nii-san tucks himself under the arm. “Ah, otouto, you’ve gotten so big! I’m so happy to see you again.”

He grips his brother firmly. “Nii-san. I failed you. On the battlefield when you - ”

He can’t make himself say it.

Nii-san says it for him. “When I died? You did no such thing. You were nowhere near me, and it wasn’t your responsibility anyway. It was your first battle, and I’m sorry that you had to see me fall.”

Nii-san’s small palm touches his cheek, forcing him to turn his head. “You’ve grown and not just physically. You’re a good Clan Head, and I’m glad that it’s you who stands in my place. You’ve not always made good choices, but you’ve always done your best, and our clan is growing strong and happy. It’s all that I could have asked for.”

He meets his brother’s eyes. “And the peace? You were killed by Butsuma.”

Nii-san’s smile is small and mean. “And he’s dead. Killed by his son’s design, even if not directly by his son’s hand. To accept a peace with the man who killed Butsuma is not something that I will argue against.”

Nii-san’s thumb strokes his cheekbone, just under his eye. “You have known pain. Let it go. Use the Sharingan to remember love instead. Teach the clan to grow beyond their hurt and rage. The peace has brought prosperity. It’s a good thing.”

He seizes his brother in a hug. “Thank you nii-san. Thank you for understanding my choices.”

Nii-san’s voice is muffled in his chest. “You’re about to become a father. Focus on that rather than the past.”

He lets his brother lean back far enough that they can look each other in the eyes again. “Will I ever see you, Kuro-hime, and Togakushi again?”

Nii-san laughs. “Try to stop us! We will visit every year until it’s time for us to move on. You may not always speak to us, but we will watch you and the clan. And your children.”

Children? “I will have more than one?”

Nii-san nods. “For your Senju-sama’s child is your child also. They may not be of your line if they do not choose to be, but they will always be a child of your love. That is what it means to be family.”

Tears stand in his eyes. He’d forgotten how wise nii-san was. Is. The dream is already fading and he grasps for it even as it slips through his fingers.

Nii-san presses a kiss to his forehead.

“Go. Live with my blessings.”

He wakes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taetaka is the only child in their family who is older than Madara. As such, Madara refers to him as nii-san, just like Izuna refers to Madara as nii-san.
> 
> Taetaka died when he was 12.


	97. Omake - Autumn Planting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, medical procedures do go as expected.
> 
> (it doesn’t make them any less odd.)

Kikiyo: *takes off her pants* Hashirama-sama, I believe we may proceed.

Tobirama: *holds out a glass container of semen* Here Anija.

Hashirama: *takes the container* Thanks!

Tobirama: *offers a hand to Kikiyo* Would you like to hold my hand?

Kikiyo: Actually, I’d prefer that you not be constrained in any way. I believe both you and Hashirama-sama when you say that this will not hurt, but this is not the best position to defend myself from.

Tobirama: *moves to guard the door* That is a very good point.

Hashirama: *applies semen to Kikiyo's cervix* Quiet now please, I need to concentrate.

*silence for a while*

Hashirama: *hand on Kikiyo’s abdomen, muttering* This way, yes, very good, you’re really moving along now… and you need to go higher, yes, that’s right.

Kikiyo: *eyebrows rising*

Hashirama: And… oh, don’t _stop_! Now you’re going in circles! You have to keep going!

Kikiyo: *makes the hand sign for ‘query mission orders’ over Hashirama’s bent head*

(Translation: Am I really hearing this?!)

Tobirama: *makes the hand sign for ‘mission orders correct’*

(Translation: Yes. You are.)

Hashirama: Look, there’s a seed right there! You’re _pollen_! This is what you’re supposed to do!

Kikiyo: *starts to laugh silently*

Tobirama: *smiles at her*

Hashirama: Don’t argue with me! Look, you’re there, the seed is there, so POLLINATE!

Kikiyo: *quietly giggling*

Hashirama: DON’T MAKE ME MAKE YOU DO IT! YOU KNOW I WILL!

Tobirama: *rolls eyes*

Hashirama: *wiggles his fingers* FINE!

Kikiyo: *shaking with suppressed laughter*

Hashirama: There! See? That wasn’t so hard!

Tobirama: Did it work?

Hashirama: *offended stare at Tobirama* Of course it worked! Even if the pollen didn’t want to cooperate with me!

Tobirama: Anija, that is not my fault.

Hashirama: Well, they’re _your husband’s_ pollen.

Tobirama: They are the pollen of your best friend. I have no control over them.

Kikiyo: *takes a deep breath to try and calm down, voice still choked with laughter* May I accompany Senju-sama home now?

Hashirama: Oh! Yes, of course! I’ll stay at Madara’s house tonight so that I can check on you regularly. I’m afraid that neither of us will be getting much sleep until the seed settles in your soil properly.

Kikiyo: *baffled* Soil?

Tobirama: He’s referring to your womb. He doesn’t want the embryo to attach outside of it.

Kikiyo: *alarmed* That can happen?

Tobirama: It can. Unfortunately, we lost a mother to it before we knew what to look for. Now all of our clan’s healers know how to check for it, but Anija is the best at persuading the embryo to move until it can attach in the correct place.

Hashirama: And it helps if I can prevent it from settling in the wrong place first. Uprooting a seedling can damage it, and we’ve had mothers lose children because of that. That’s why I need to check on you so often, every hour or so, until it roots. Usually that only takes a day or two, so it’s not so bad.

Kikiyo: *bows deeply* I would undergo far worse than a few days with less rest than usual in order to have a child Hashirama-sama. I sincerely thank you for your assistance. This could not have been done without you.

Hashirama: *hurriedly bows back* No, no! Thank you for helping to give Madara a child!

Kikiyo: *smiles at Tobirama* I will be well compensated in a few years.

Tobirama: *bows to Kikiyo* It will be the least of what we will owe you.

Kikiyo: *stands up* Not owe. We are clan and we help each other.

Hashirama: *stands up beaming* Exactly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tobirama was there to witness on Madara’s behalf. Everyone agreed that Madara would distract Hashirama too much. (Possibly by starting a fight about exactly what was wrong with his sperm.)
> 
> As you can see, Hashirama’s attitude towards patients - or sperm - who won’t do what they’re told gets passed down to Tsunade, right along with his healing skills. Only she punches people more.
> 
> One last point - Kikiyo graduated to being a runner in the autumn of 1819. This chapter happens in in the autumn of 1828. In those nine years, Kikiyo has gone from fighting the Senju on the battlefield to letting the ex-clan head of the Senju touch her genitals while the man she used to think of as the White Demon guards her. There are no born Uchiha in the room except her. Madara is not even in the building. She’ll be accompanied home by Tobirama.
> 
> That’s a lot of trust right there.


	98. Almost Time to Run (for the Sixth Time), Autumn - Izuna (23)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you have something to say.
> 
> (But not where family can hear it.)

Izuna is nervous.

The family has gone to bed, their guests have left, and it’s only them on the engawa looking at the moon.

Last year, Tobi was the only Senju celebrating the Run. This year, there were four Senju in their house.

Tōka, Hashirama-sama, and Mito-hime all came to eat their food, drink their sake, and toast the autumn moon. Well, Tōka toasted with tea, but it still counts.

Things have certainly changed.

A few years ago, a night like tonight would have been beyond his imagination. There would have been no possibility of Tobi sitting at their table, celebrating the Run, even after he’d participated a couple of times. Certainly the idea of Hashirama-sama and Mito-hime being present wouldn’t have occured to him, and he barely knew Tōka then, not like he’s come to know her now.

Now that she’s carrying their child.

And carrying is certainly the word for it. She looks like she’s eaten a whole watermelon, all by herself. It’s astonishing. She let him touch tonight and the baby kicked him.

It was amazing.

So things have changed, and the changes are good.

Now he’s going to change things again.

He hopes it will be a good change too.

He rolls onto his back and touches his fingers to Hikaku’s face, stroking the high cheekbones of the man he loves. Hikaku and Seto both smile down at him and he feels his heart fill with love.

He says it.

“I don’t think I want to Run anymore.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case it wasn’t already obvious, moon viewing is a hobby for the triad.
> 
> It’s a quiet peaceful moment taken for themselves after a long day of chaos, and they all appreciate the respite.
> 
> Seto enjoys the aesthetics, Hikaku likes the quiet, and Izuna appreciates having a calm space to retreat to.
> 
> They all love the togetherness.
> 
> Typically, Hikaku’s in the middle, Seto sits behind him, and Izuna puts his head in Hikaku’s lap where he can be petted. They change it up sometimes, but that’s their most common configuration. Izuna likes hands in his hair and doesn’t actually care about the moon. He cares about being close to his husbands. Seto does actually like the moon, but also appreciates being trusted to protect all three of them. Hikaku likes being in the middle where he can feel them both. It’s his thing.


	99. Almost Time to Run (for the Sixth Time), Autumn - Hikaku (24)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you hear something unexpected.
> 
> (It doesn’t have to be a bad thing.)

Hikaku is surprised.

They’d known that goshujin-sama had been thinking hard of late, planning something. Honestly, they’d suspected it was a plan for the Run that he was working on with Senju-sama, and taken care not to press on his boundaries.

Never had they dreamed that goshujin-sama might be thinking of not Running.

Shujin and he exchange a look before he nods, ceding this conversation to shujin who has always been better at understanding people in general and goshujin-sama in particular.

He has known goshujin-sama longer, that is true, but that also means that he has known the mask as much as the man. His ideas of how goshujin-sama thinks and acts are based on false knowledge, something that shujin lacks.

Shujin deliberately relaxes his body. “That is, of course, your choice. We would be interested to know your thinking on the subject if you would like to share it.”

He nods his agreement as goshujin-sama looks at him. Shujin has put his own thoughts into words, but in a way that he would be unable to, surprised as he is.

Goshujin-sama lays his head back down, looking up at the sky but still allowing them to see his face. He can’t help but allow his Sharingan to spin to life in order to memorise the sight, and goshujin-sama laughs a little in response.

“This is kind of why. I don’t want to graduate anymore. It doesn’t mean anything. With the creation of the shinobi ranking system for the village, I’ve sort of already graduated. As a Jōnin, I have as much responsibility and freedom as I want or could ever need. Even more importantly, everyone knows that I’d rather be Caught than graduate. With you two chasing me, I’d rather take your offerings and be in your bed, than see the sun rise on the Run.”

Goshujin-sama takes his hand and kisses the palm. “You’re my beloved husbands, and I’ll always choose you first. And that’s the way it should be.” He sighs deeply. It sounds regretful. “But that’s not what the Run should be. The Run is, at its heart, training for our young. Its purpose is to teach. The way it offers an opportunity for higher ranking shinobi to express romantic interest in their kōhai is secondary. But, with the way I’ve become a symbol for the Run, too many of our young ones are focusing on that aspect and forgetting what they’re supposed to be learning. That’s not a good thing. I need to remove myself.”

This is exactly why goshujin-sama is so beloved.

He’d give up something that he himself has dedicated so much of his life to, for the betterment of the clan.

He bends down, kissing goshujin-sama on the forehead. 

“As you wish, goshujin-sama. Your will is ours.”


	100. Almost Time to Run (for the Sixth Time), Autumn - Seto (29)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you get a surprise.
> 
> (And learn something you never knew.)

Seto watches yome and goshujin-sama together. They’re beautiful in the moonlight, but the topic under discussion worries him.

He clears his throat to attract their attention snd they both look at him inquiringly.

“I understand your reasons and they are good ones, but may I ask who will be in charge of teaching the Prey and approving the forfeits if you do not Run?”

Izuna-sama smirks. “Ah, that. Well, the rules that nii-san made only specify the highest ranking Prey in the year. It doesn’t specify that the Prey must be running.”

He bursts out laughing. Of course. Izuna-sama can always be trusted to work out a way to fulfil his responsibilities and get what he wants at the same time.

Koibito laughs too. “I take it then that you will not be running tomorrow night.”

Izuna-sama shakes his head. “No. Tobi won’t either.”

Now that is a surprise. He raises an eyebrow, and Izuna-sama elaborates. “It was fine last year, none of us any had responsibilities and were free to do as we wished, but taking the attention of nii-san and yourselves wasn’t helping the young ones learn anything. All three of you need to have your minds on our youth, training them and helping them hone their skills, not chasing down your husbands.”

That is very true. All three of them have placed their personal desires above their young for far too many years, leaving them in the hands of others. It’s time they took up their responsibilities again.

He sighs. “I will miss it.”

Izuna-sama reaches out and pats his ankle comfortingly. “Hey, if you want to chase me through the woods, we can do that anytime. And there would be no worrying about other people then. We could borrow some of Mito-hime’s seals from Tobi, maybe find a nice spot, and enjoy ourselves in privacy.”

The idea has immense appeal and he reacts immediately. Koibito can feel it and moans. “Shujin…”

Izuna-sama’s hand on his ankle is no longer gentle. Instead, it holds him in place, an unbreakable grip even as a thumb brushes over the sensitive skin and makes him shudder. “So you like that. The idea of running me down, pinning me to the earth, taking me like an animal crazed with lust…”

“Goshujin-sama!” his tones are shocked, but also breathy with desire. He’d never known this about himself, but he wants it. He wants it desperately.

Goshujin-sama’s smile is wicked. “We will. Another time. But, for tonight, since I don’t need to be able to Run tomorrow, how about you take me to the futon and do whatever you want to me?”

He rises with alacrity. That is an offer that he will never turn down. They both take his hands and he pulls them to their feet, before kissing goshujin-sama with teeth and tongue. “I want to put my mouth on you.”

Goshujin-sama shivers. “Then do it. Do anything. Then come home to me tomorrow night and do it again.”

Yome presses up behind goshujin-sama. From the way his eyes widen, he can feel the arousal pressing into him from both front and back.

Koibito’s voice is deep. “We will always come home to you,”

He finishes the thought. “because we love you.”


	101. About to Run (for the Sixth Time), Autumn - Hikaku (25)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You do your best.
> 
> (Until all your plans must be set aside.)

Hikaku is walking around the compound, checking on all the runners and the Prey before the Run for the first time in two years.

Goshujin-sama was right, he has been neglecting his responsibilities for too long. The surprise in the faces of those under his command when he appears are an unspoken and unmeant reproach to him.

He must make more of an effort to be present in the future.

It’s easier now that his mind is free of worry for goshujin-sama for the first time since he became a runner.

For the first time since they were children, goshujin-sama will not be running. Goshujin-sama will be safe. In fact, goshujin-sama and Senju-sama will be spending the night with Tōka-san, and three more competent shinobi he cannot imagine. He knows that goshujin-sama is hoping to feel the baby move again and he smiles involuntarily at the thought.

The Prey in front of him stops speaking in surprise and he wipes the smile from his face immediately. But their expression doesn’t change. Perhaps it wasn’t his smile that caused that expression.

He follows their gaze over his shoulder and towards the gate of the compound.

It’s Ichika-kun.

She’s clenching her hands into fists and glaring at him like she challenging him to protest her presence.

He merely nods his acceptance, and she exhales in relief.

Setsuna-kun shoulders his way out of his group of friends, Sharingan flaring. He looks simultaneously terrified and elated.

The two of them stare at each other like there’s no one else in the world. 

Hikaku wants to laugh.

So much for goshujin-sama’s plans for a Run without romance.


	102. Omake - Winter Harvest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, hard work bears fruit.
> 
> (Actually, it almost always does.)

Hashirama: Come on, seedling! You can do it!

Tōka: *breathlessly* Can you not call this kid a seedling? I feel like giving birth to a plant would be a really bad thing at this point!

Izuna: *holding her hand* I agree! The baby is a human being, not a plant!

Hashirama: Look, if you want me in charge of this harvest, I’ll do it my way!

Seto: *holding Tōka’s other hand* Please, let’s not distract the doctor?

Tōka: *squeezes his hand vindictively* It’s my body! I’m the one pushing a kid into the world! I’LL SAY ANYTHING I DAMN WELL LIKE!

Seto: *wincing* Yes, Tōka-san.

Tōka: *yelling in pain* AND I TOLD YOU TO CALL ME TŌKA!

Izuna: *worriedly* I think the nerves aren’t numb anymore, Hashirama-sama!

Hashirama: *laying a hand on Tōka’s pelvis* Got it!

Tōka: *collapses against Hikaku in relief* Thank all the gods. It didn’t take this long the last time!

Hashirama: Well, you were lucky.

Tōka: *glares daggers at him* Then how do I get lucky again?

Hashirama: *shrugs* It’s up to the seedling. Plants grow at their own rate.

Tōka: *transfers glare to Seto* This is _your fault_.

Seto: *looks very meek, but his lips are twitching* Yes, Tōka-san. Anything you say, Tōka-san. Feel free to break my hand if you need to, Tōka-san.

Izuna: *looking very alarmed* Please don’t, Tōka! I like that hand a lot!

Tōka: *laughing* Don’t make me laugh! Don’t!

Hikaku: *very seriously, supporting Tōka’s weight from behind as she reclines against him* I agree with Tōka-san, this doesn’t seem like a moment for levity.

Tōka: *laughing harder* Oh, that makes it even worse! Ow, ow!

Izuna, Seto, and Hikaku: *all look alarmed, at the same time* WHAT!

Tōka: Laughing too hard. Stomach cramps.

Hashirama: *massages her belly* Don’t worry, the seedling will come out. Eventually.

Tōka: *starts laughing again* Hashirama! I’d punch you right now if I could reach you!

Hashirama: *grinning at her* Then I’m very glad that both your hands are busy right now.

Tōka: *panting* Someone kick him for me, will you?

Izuna: *pods Hashirama with a toe* Done!

Tōka: *starts laughing again* That doesn’t count and you know it! OW!

Hashirama: *Tōka’s belly ripples under his hand* It’s happening! Relax, Tōka-nee, breathe through it!

Tōka: WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK I’M DOING!

Hashirama: *yelling* DON’T PUSH! JUST BREATHE! LET IT HAPPEN!

Tōka: *grunting with the contractions* I AM!

Izuna: *Sharingan spinning, yelling too* COME ON BABY MAKER, YOU CAN DO IT!

Tōka: *laughing breathlessly as she tries not to push* DON’T! MAKE! ME! LAUGH!

Baby: *wails*

Hashirama: Hello, seedling!

Izuna: *slightly stunned* Those are the worst first words that anyone has ever heard in the entire history of the world.

Tōka: *laughing weakly, wriggles her hand free of his grip just so she can punch him* I told you not to make me laugh!

Izuna: *makes wounded doe eyes at her* But I didn’t mean to, baby maker!

Tōka: *collapses against Hikaku, leans back to make eye contact with him* You’re the sane one right?

Hikaku: *Sharingan spinning as he stares at her and the baby* Yes.

Izuna: *makes an offended noise* I resent that remark!

Hashirama: *holding the baby in his arms* So, who wants to hold the baby first?

Seto: *staring at the baby with his Sharingan* May I, goshujin-sama?

Izuna: *reaching across Tōka to touch his face* You know you can. It’s your kid even if you’re both part of my line.

Hashirama: *deposits the baby in Seto’s arms* There you go, the fruits of Tōka’s labour.

Tōka: *sardonically* Literally.

Izuna: *doubles over laughing* Ow! Baby maker!

Tōka: Consider this revenge.

*everyone calms down, the baby is passed around*

Hikaku: *staring down at the baby in his arms* The baby was born with laughter. It’s a good thing.

Hashirama: *nods proudly* A very good thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why does Hashirama tell Tōka to breathe through the contractions instead of pushing? Because the baby is crowning, and he can see the head. Her contractions will naturally push the baby out. Straining could cause damage to her body and nobody wants that.


	103. Lunar New Year, Spring - Izuna (24)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you underestimate the amount of work involved.
> 
> (Thank the gods it doesn’t happen that often.)

Izuna is exhausted.

There are six adults in the house to care for the single baby and he still feels like they’re outnumbered.

At first, Reo-chan only slept for an hour or two at a time, waking up just enough to be fed and cleaned before almost always wanting to go back to sleep. If he didn’t know better, he’d have sworn that their kid was part Nara, since he seems to fall asleep instantly in odd places just like they do.

Honestly, he’d though that was an exaggeration put about by other shinobi clans trying to dismiss the Nara, but he’s seen it for himself since a family from that clan moved to the village last autumn.

Still, he’d thought that was bad enough, the three of them trading off a single night of no sleep against two nights of sleeping separately from the baby leaving them all unbalanced and out of sorts, even as the amount of laundry seemed the quadruple overnight.

It seems that his body doesn’t want to sleep without both of his husbands anymore.

It feels wrong when one of them isn’t there.

But now, Reo-chan has changed from a regular pattern of barely wanting to be awake, to having some sort of strange sleep cycle which fluctuates between an hour and three hours. And, when he’s awake, he wants to stay awake for at least at hour and a half each time before he falls asleep, curling up into a little ball wherever he is and dozing off.

Sometimes he wants to stay up all night.

He thanks all the gods daily that Kikiyo volunteered to be their wet nurse even before her own children were born, but they can’t wake her up in the middle of the night just in case Reo-chan wants to be fed when he ate not an hour before!

He knows that he’s tired and making bad decisions, but he has no idea what to do.

He’s staring at the paper balloon even as Reo-chan naps on the futon next to him and he’s feeling a crazy impulse to write ‘sleep’ on it.

Hikaku’s youngest sister sits down next to him and pulls his head down to rest on her shoulder. “You need more sleep,” she tells him very seriously. “You look terrible.”

“I know.” he whines. “But…” and he waves his hand at Reo-chan.

“Let me and nee-san take a turn tonight. I know that we won’t guard him as well as any of you, but the two of us together should be okay, right?”

He nods. They’re competent, even if they’re not the most skilled fighters in the clan. If an attack occured that they felt was beyond their abilities, they certainly wouldn’t hesitate to raise the alarm and rouse the whole house. They’re practical, just like their brother.

And the thought of a night with both of his husbands in the same bed as him…

Well, it’s very enticing.

Still, he makes a token protest, more out of politeness than anything else. “Are you sure? You don’t have to.”

She shoves him down onto the futon next to Reo-chan. “Go to sleep, Izuna-sama. I’ll be right here when you wake up, unless Reo-chan wakes up first, in which case, I’ll have taken him to Kikiyo-san.”

He’ll wake up if she moves Reo-chan actually, but he doesn’t bother to correct her. It’s a nice gesture that she’s making and he mumbles his thanks even as he falls asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some people, male and female alike, spontaneously produce milk unassociated with childbirth or nursing in a phenomenon called galactorrhea, but that is not what’s happening here.
> 
> It’s possible for females to lactate without giving birth by stimulating the breast tissue by hand. It’s called hand expressing and you can find more information about it [here](https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/relactation-and-induced-lactation). This is exactly what Kikiyo did in advance of Reo’s birth to get her milk production up, and she just let him feed once he was born. She’s offered do it for all of their kids, but the triad does all of the other childcare - they all want to. She’s Reo’s aunt, not his nanny.
> 
> It can also be done by males although that’s extremely uncommon. You can find out more about male lactation [here](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-but-true-males-can-lactate).
> 
> As someone who breastfed my kid and was still sporadically producing milk years after they were weaned, I can only say that breasts are baffling, yo.


	104. Lunar New Year, Spring - Hikaku (25)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you get a nice surprise.
> 
> (It happens quite often actually.)

Hikaku is worried.

Goshujin-sama has been exhausted lately. He has no idea how to pace himself, and has been staying up all night every time it’s his turn to take care with Reo-chan. Between that and the way he can’t seem to stay asleep when one of them is missing from the futon, he’s running short on sleep. In addition, he’s had to take on extra work while Madara-sama and Senju-sama were away in Uzushio. 

Still, at least Madara-sama is back and can take the paperwork for the clan back from goshujin-sama.

He makes a mental note to arrange it so that all of their future children will be born in spring or summer. He won’t let goshujin-sama take on this kind of burden again and at least Senju-sama will be able to help with the laundry. Although the special washing basins are a great improvement and they can use katon to dry the clothing, Senju-sama is still much better at it.

He’s been considering asking some of the retired Senju suiton users if they want to start up a laundry business. His family cannot be the only ones who are desperate for some help.

Five years ago he would not have thought of that as a possibility, but the marriage of Senju-sama to Madara-sama has created a situation where the Senju and the Uchiha now cooperate on many more things than they used to. He is now willing to hand a Senju the most important clothing in his family, the ones that clothe his son, and trust that they will not come back poisoned.

He suspects that he is not the only one.

He resolves to talk to Senju-sama about it tonight.

Tonight will the first time that he will actually get to see Senju-sama’s new baby actually. Everyone saw them when they came back from Uzushio a day ago, but Senju-sama has not come out at all since then. Even Madara-sama barely visited, staying just long enough to confirm with goshujin-sama that all was well.

That worries him too.

He opens the door to Reo-chan’s room as quietly as he can and is relieved to see imoutosan watching over goshujin-sama and the baby.

She uses hand signs to communicate that they only fell asleep a short time ago and that she will take the night watch tonight along with his other sister. He signs his gratitude back.

He looks forward to sleeping with both of his husbands tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place on February 4, 1829 and Reo is about two and a half months old. Hikaku’s sisters are 19 and 22, and are both chūnin. Neither of them will ever advance to Jōnin and they're happy with that.
> 
> I should probably mention that it was very common for rich or noble families during this time period to have servants care for their children, to the point where there are folk songs about nannies from poor families bemoaning their treatment by their employers. What the triad is doing - taking on all the childcare - would be considered highly unusual by the standards of the time.


	105. Lunar New Year, Spring - Seto (30)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you get an offer.
> 
> (That’s made out of love.)

Seto is busy putting the finishing touches on dinner when okaasan pushes him out of the way.

“Stop. Let me finish. You go sit down and rest.”

He collapses with relief.

He’s looked after infants before, koibito’s niece most recently, but he’s forgotten how much _work_ a new baby can be.

They’re a joy and a blessing, but also a lot of effort.

He’s delighted with Reo-chan, of course, but he’s also very tired. Preparing for a gathering like tonight, a task which he would normally take joy in, is exhausting on top of everything else.

Otousan sits next to him. “You’re going to have to let us help.”

He protests. “You already help! You’ve been more help than anyone could have asked for!”

Otousan shakes his head. “Not as much as we could have been. You will no longer do the cooking, your mother will take on that task. Yome’s sisters will take the child at least one night in five, and so will we. That will give you three at least two nights together in five. Additionally, Kikiyo wishes to sleep with Reo-chan.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Truly?”

It’s not an uncommon practice, the baby usually feeds well, sometimes even while the mother is asleep, but Reo-chan is not Kikiyo’s child.

“Yes,” otousan nods. “One of you should remain with her to guard them, but she will rest better if the baby can feed without disturbing her as much.”

That will help. They will be able to lie down and rest even if they are not able to sleep.

“Finally, I suggest that you all consider sharing resources with Madara-sama and Senju-sama.”

He nods thoughtfully. It’s true that Madara-sama and Senju-sama are alone with a new baby, and can call upon less family than they. It might be a good idea. The babies could sleep together, and only one of them would take the night watch, spreading out the responsibilities even further.

It depends on Senju-sama’s wet nurse though. They may not be willing to have their privacy invaded.

“Will okaasan be willing to take in another two people and a baby? Three if they have brought a wet nurse back from Uzushio?”

“I am!” Okaasan calls from the kitchen.

Of course he should have known that she was listening.

He bows his head. “I will ask.”

Otousan’s hand on his head feels like approval. “Good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my head, this is what the relationship between the elders and shinobi should look like - an offering of accumulated experience done with love and care. (Not whatever the hell was happening in cannon.)
> 
> If Seto had truly said no, they would have agreed. They would have fretted, but agreed.
> 
> Since he was obviously protesting out of politeness, they overruled him with a parental “don’t by silly!” attitude and he accepted it.
> 
> Also, co-sleeping is incredibly common in Japan and would have probably been close to universal during the Edo Period.


	106. Lunar New Year, Spring - Madara (26)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, things change.
> 
> (A lot.)

Madara is nervous.

It feels absurd. This is his own clan! His own family!

But it’s true.

It will be the first time that any Uchiha has truly seen yome and their child.

He takes a deep breath even as yome takes his hand.

The flash of the Hiraishin sears even through his closed eyelids, and he can’t help but grimace. Yome insisted on using the Hiraishin in deference to his need for privacy, and he can’t help but feel that it’s absurd for yome to use it to travel such a short distance.

When he opens his eyes again, he sees everyone crowding onto the engawa to greet them.

His eyes go straight to Izuna and he can’t help but step forward to embrace his brother. They hug tightly before he leans back just enough to meet Izuna’s eyes. “You still look terrible. I thought I told you to get more sleep.”

“Like you’re any better!” Izuna grumbles. “I could use the bags under your eyes to carry grain.”

Yome laughs at the two of them and Izuna squirms away from him to go to Tobirama.

He takes in the rest of the family instead.

Seto and Hikaku look almost as exhausted as Izuna, but they’re also smiling. Kikiyo looks healthy and very pregnant. In fact, she looks far more pregnant than she ought to be. Hashirama sent him a message that she was carrying twins but it’s still astonishing to see. His hand hovers in front of her and she grabs it, placing it on her stomach. “Feel, Madara-sama. Your children.” He can’t help smiling at the thought. And then he feels it. A solid kick against his palm.

“They’re strong,” he can’t help but say, grinning widely.

“Indeed they are,” she confirms. “they move unpredictably throughout the day, but they tend to respond to sudden movement.”

“May I?” He asks, gesturing at the ground in front of her. “I want to talk to them.”

She smiles at him. “Of course.”

He kneels. It should feel awkward, kneeling in front of a member of his clan who is not senior to him, but it doesn’t feel so. He speaks directly to the children, hoping that they can hear him. “Hello, babies. This is your father. I look forward to meeting you in person.”

A hand touches him on the shoulder. He’d know that hand anywhere. It’s yome. He reaches up and grips it tightly. “This is your other father. We are waiting to love you.”

Yome’s voice is calm and soothing. “We already love you. We have been absent while you developed ears so you may not know our voices, but you will hear us more from now on. We wait for your birth with great anticipation.”

The babies kick again.

His heart feels full.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can see here that Madara is pretty considerate with Kikiyo’s level of comfort regarding touch, as he should be. Kunoichi are to be respected, and her being pregnant with his kids doesn’t change that for him.
> 
> Kikiyo is 22 weeks pregnant in this chapter and looks like she’s swallowed a basketball. She’s petite and carrying twins, it’s within the normal range. Twins also run in Madara’s family.
> 
> Babies develop the ability to hear sounds at around 18 weeks of pregnancy. By 24 weeks, they’re much more sensitive and by 25 weeks they start to respond to voices and noise. Recordings taken in the uterus reveal that noises from outside of the womb are muted by about half.
> 
> Madara and Tobirama will take to having long conversations with Kikiyo’s bump.


	107. Omake - Eating Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you are surprised.
> 
> (Everyone is surprised.)

Everyone: *sitting around the irori* Itadakimasu!

Everyone: *starts eating*

*silence for a while*

Madara: My compliments to the chef. This is amazing.

Hikaku’s mother, Seto’s mother, Seto: *all together* Thank you, but it was really they who worked hard on it!

Hikaku’s mother, Seto’s mother, Seto: *look at each other, all laugh*

Tobirama: No matter which of you made it, it is all very good.

Madara: So, Izuna, what’s been happening while we were gone.

Izuna: I sent you everything using the message box. Don’t you trust me?

Madara: *flat stare* No.

Izuna: Well, that’s gratitude. But really, it was all in there. Everything else was just gossip. How was Uzushio?

Madara: Interesting.

Tobirama: *at the same time* The same as usual.

Izuna: Okay… Is this because nii-san thinks the Uzumaki are odd while Tobi is used to them?

Madara: No.

Izuna: Then?

Baby on Tobirama’s back: *wails*

Madara: *looking at Tobirama* You’ll see.

Tobirama: *takes the baby out of the wrap, lays her in his lap, unwraps her from the swaddle, puts the baby to his nipple* I do not see why you think this is strange. It may be unusual, but it is a perfectly logical solution to a logistical problem.

Seto: *slowly* You are breastfeeding?

Tobirama: As you see.

Izuna: *fascinated* How does that _work_?

Tobirama: There is a chemical in the body that causes milk to be produced. Usually, the chemical is created when circumstances demand it, most commonly after birth and during nursing, but there have been cases when it has been produced outside of that. In those cases, there are treatments to stop the chemical production. I simply reversed the process and stimulated it instead. The Uzumaki were very interested.

Izuna: *grinning* I bet they were.

Madara: As I said - interesting.

Hikaku: She has red hair.

Madara: She takes after her mother that way. We have no idea if she will in other ways too.

Reo: *wails*

Seto: *unwraps him* Shh, shh, little loved one, are you jealous? Your aunt will give you milk.

Kikiyo: *takes Reo* There now, nephew of mine, feed and be calm.

Reo: *latches on*

Seto: May I ask her name?

Tobirama: Niko.

Seto: “Two lakes”, very appropriate. My compliments.

Madara: *dryly* Thanks.

Kikiyo: Now may be a good time to ask.

Madara: Ask what?

Seto’s mother: *deep breath* We would like to offer to house you until the children are weaned.

Madara: Really?

Kikiyo: Truly, it is an offer made with an open heart. You have very little family to call upon to help, and it would be as easy to guard two children in the night as one. When I give birth, there will be four children.

Tobirama: And Izuna hates laundry.

Izuna: *grimacing* And you know how much I hate laundry.

Madara: *looks at Tobirama*

Tobirama: *nods*

Madara: We accept and thank you for your kind offer.

Seto’s mother: There is no kindness. We are family, it is what family does.

Hikaku: *takes Seto’s hand* It is good to have all the family together again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chemical that Tobirama is talking about is the hormone prolactin, and there are modern drugs that - when given in the immediate postpartum period - lower basal serum prolactin and possibly the suckling-induced prolactin response. The treatment that he describes is something that would be used to suppress lactation, like Hashirama did for Tōka after she birthed Reo, or treat prolactinoma, a noncancerous tumor of the pituitary gland.
> 
> Tobirama does not consider this a feminine thing to do. He considers it a logical solution to a logistical problem and can’t tell why no one else does. In his head, breastfeeding is part of childcare - it’s doesn’t have to be a gendered activity though it’s mostly women who do it. He can do it, so he will. (That’s pretty much Tobirama’s problem solving motto right there.)
> 
> Niko’s name is written as 二湖 in Japanese.


	108. Hanami, Spring - Hikaku (25)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura blossoms.
> 
> (Can be fun to play with.)

Hikaku looks up at the sakura trees.

All of the sakura trees are in bloom. The ume trees too, and the scent of their blossoms is heady in the air.

He feels intoxicated but he is not drunk.

In fact, no one is.

As seems to have become tradition, everyone is in the park for hanami.

Reo-chan and Niko-chan are sharing space on Hashirama-sama’s overlarge haori and are lying on their backs staring up at the sakura blossoms overhead.

Hashirama-sama, usually the first to bring out the sake, is instead completely sober and lying down next to them, making the trees bend down so that their branches are almost close enough to touch. The children reach out, only to find that the tips of their fingers are not quite long enough. The trees shake, almost as if they are laughing, and more petals fall. The babies giggle delightedly.

Resting against shujin, Kikiyo oneesan watches Hashirama-sama with an affectionate smile. They have worked together for seven years now and are obviously used to each other, but she never seems to stop finding him amusing.

On the other side of the cloth, Mito-hime watches Hashirama-sama also. In her case, the smile is loving. They have been married since before the village was created, and obviously have a strong bond, so he wonders why they have not yet chosen to have a child. It is not his place to ask however, and he keeps his silence on the subject.

Senju-sama and Madara-sama are sitting on either side of Kikiyo oneesan and taking it in turn to describe the party to the babies in her body. Madara-sama is glaring at anyone who looks their way as if daring them to comment, but Senju-sama is as unselfconscious about it as he is about everything.

Suddenly Niko-chan lets out a cry, followed quickly by Reo-chan. Before anyone else can react, Hashirama-sama picks them both up and brings them to Kikiyo oneesan and Senju-sama. The babies are hungry and quick to begin to feed.

People still give Senju-sama surprised looks when they see him breastfeeding, but a fiery glance from Madara-sama suffices to turn away even the most curious.

Perhaps, in time, everyone will come to accept it as normal.

After all, they have accepted so many other things.

He hopes that this will be another one.


	109. Omake - Summer Harvest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, it’s not the doctor that’s the problem.
> 
> (Sometimes, it’s the parent.)

Kikiyo: *kneeling on the futon, resting against Seto* Aniue, I’m tired.

Seto: *stroking her forehead with his free hand* I know, Kikiyo. Be calm, Hashirama-sama says it’s almost over.

Hashirama: *resting a hand on Kikiyo’s stomach* It is. The nerves should be numb. Still can’t feel anything?

Kikiyo: No. Are you sure it won’t hurt?

Hashirama: *reassuringly* As sure as I can be, Kikiyo-kun. I’ve done this a lot, you know.

Kikiyo: *laughing a little* I know! It’s just…

Hashirama: People say things.

Kikiyo: Yes… I feel like I want to push…

Hashirama: Then push. I’ll tell you when to stop.

Kikiyo: *grabs Seto’s hand, grunting* Come on, baby!

Seto: *tightening his grip on Kikiyo’s hand in return* You can do this, Kikiyo!

Hashirama: I can see the head! Okay, just breathe. Don’t push! Just let it happen!

Madara: *from outside the room* It’s happening! PUSH!

Hashirama: *yelling while applying oil* NO! DON’T PUSH!

Madara: *yelling too* HASHIRAMA! IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING LET SOMEONE ELSE TAKE OVER! I’M COMING IN!

Izuna: *guarding the door from the inside* TOBI!

Tobi: *at the same time, from outside the room* Madara. Stop. Breathe with me. Trust Anija. He is your friend. He is doing his best. You trust him with your life. Now trust him with the life of your clan mate and your child.

Madara: BUT!

Tobirama: Shh. Be calm. Breathe with me. The child is in good hands, as is Kikiyo-dono.

Hashirama: *murmuring* That’s good Kikiyo-kun! You’re doing really well! The seedling is coming along nicely!

Kikiyo: *mouths the words silently* Seedling!

Seto: *mouths back* I know!

Hikaku: *eye rolls*

Izuna: *laughing silently*

Hashirama: *not looking up from the baby crowning between Kikiyo’s legs* I can tell you’re all laughing at me!

Kikiyo: *laughs aloud* I can’t help it! Oh!

Baby: *wails*

Hashirama: And there! Hello, seedling! That’s the first one born, now for the next one! Your father will be happy to meet you!

Madara: *calling from outside the room* Can I come in now?

Kikiyo: *shakes her head at Izuna*

Izuna: *calling back* Give us a few minutes, okay? I’ll bring her out to you. Hikaku, can you take the door?

Hikaku: *taking Izuna’s place* Certainly, goshujin-sama.

Kikiyo: *mouthing the words at Izuna* Thank you.

Izuna: *taking the baby from Hashirama, mouths back* Not a problem.

Hashirama: Okay, the second seedling is in a hurry! I can see her now!

Kikiyo: *grunting* It feels like I need to push again…

Hashirama: *calmly* Control the urge, you don’t want to rush her, seedlings take their own time when they’re doing this part…

Izuna: *backs away holding the baby* You can do this!

Seto: *gripping Kikiyo’s hand* You’ve done so well, Kikiyo. Just breathe with me, alright? Let your body do all the work.

Kikiyo: *panting* That sounds familiar…

Seto: *laughing a little* Yes, just like in training, although I never thought to apply it like this.

Kikiyo: Neither did I. But.. sometimes… old skills… find new… uses… oh!

Other baby: *wails*

Hashirama: And there! Welcome, Seedling!

Izuna: *takes the other baby, muttering* I still say those are terrible first words to hear.

Hashirama: *ignoring him* All done. Now just breathe and relax, Kikiyo-kun. The next part will go fast.

Seto: *surprised* Next part?

Hashirama: The placenta. And then I’ll heal everything.

Kikiyo: *tiredly* And I will be even more grateful than I already am.

Hikaku: *amused* You never noticed the placenta the last time, Shujin. You were looking at Reo-chan.

Kikiyo: *laughing* Of course you were, aniue.

Seto: *smiling at her* I couldn’t help it! Your nephew is adorable!

Kikiyo: *smiling softly at the thought of Reo* Of course he is.

Izuna: Can I take the babies out to nii-san now?

Kikiyo: Yes.

Hashirama: I’ll be out to check on them again in a little while. Just let me finish up here.

Izuna: *leaves the room, carrying both babies*

Kikiyo: Oh! That’s feels… odd.

Hashirama: Yes, the nerves are waking up again. Don’t worry, these contractions aren’t anywhere near as strong as the ones before. And… there. The placenta is out. Let me heal you.

Kikiyo: *relaxes into Seto’s arms* Well, that was much easier than expected.

Seto: Thank you, Hashirama-sama. Your skills have made all the difference to my sister and the other mothers in our clan.

Hashirama: *beaming at them* No need for thanks. The village is a family now, and I’m always happy to help family.

Hikaku: *deadpan* We will remember that when we need someone to look after Reo-chan in emergencies.

Hashirama: *lights up* Yes, please!

*everyone laughs at him*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The training that Kikiyo and Seto were discussing was their training on sex. Neither of them were raped, but they did practise a lot before they started being sent on honeypot missions, it would have been irresponsible otherwise.
> 
> Mostly, they practised using sex toys.
> 
> And yes, Japan had those during the Edo Period. They also had porn.
> 
> If you’d like to know more, check out chapter 90 of The World Building of Courting Culture Confusion, World Building - Training for Honeypot Missions.
> 
> Be aware that almost every single link in there is definitely NSFW.


	110. Omake - Love at First Sight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you fall in love and it changes your life.
> 
> (Love doesn’t have to be romantic.)

Tobirama: *doing cycles of deep breathing, pressing his face into Madara’s hair* Shh.

Madara: *wrapped up in Tobirama’s arms, face buried in Tobirama’s neck* I should be in there.

Tobirama: *slightly amused* I think that it has been shown that you should not.

Madara: *unhappily muttering* It’s my responsibility.

Tobirama: *soothingly* And you are fulfilling your responsibility by guarding your surrogate. Izuna and Hikaku-san are guarding her as well. She is very safe. As are the children.

Madara: *growling* Hashirama.

Tobirama: They could not be in better hands and you know it. Be patient. Izuna will bring the children out to us.

Niko: *wails*

Tobirama and Madara: *disengage from each other*

Tobirama: *unwraps Niko and brings her to his nipple* There, Niko-chan. No need to cry, your food is here.

Madara: *worriedly* Are you sure you’ll have enough milk for all three of them?

Tobirama: Yes. Now that I know what to do, I can manipulate my own body easily. Anija will be able to assist as well, if it becomes necessary. All I need to do is eat enough.

Madara: *laughing* Well, that won’t be a problem.

Tobirama: *smiles slightly* No.

Reo: *wails*

Madara: *unwraps Reo, bouncing him a little* Hey, hey, it’s alright, Reo-chan. Your Aunt is busy right now! She’ll take you as soon as she’s done, okay?

Reo: *snuffles grumpily, cries die down*

Tobirama: *looking at Madara* I love you.

Madara: *looking at Tobirama* And I you, yome.

Izuna: *coming out of the birthing room holding both newborns* Hey! I don’t need to see you looking at each other like that!

Madara: *turning to Izuna, snippily* Then don’t look!

Izuna: Here, let’s swap. Hold your children, nii-san.

Madara and Izuna: *exchange babies*

Madara: *very softly* Welcome to the world, little ones. We’ve been waiting to meet you.

Tobirama: *looking at Madara* They’re beautiful.

Niko: *falls asleep*

Madara: *checking with Izuna* Which one is older?

Izuna: *indicates baby one with his chin* That one.

Madara: *kisses the baby on the nose very gently* You are Kana, and so I name you.

Tobirama: *swaddles Niko and puts her in the wrap, takes Kana* We will try to give you a good life, child of ours.

Madara: *strokes baby two on the forehead* You are Kitiara, and so I name you.

Tobirama: *bends to kiss Kitara on the crown of her head* We welcome you both into our hearts.

Madara and Tobirama: *stare at each other*

Izuna: *watching them* You know I don’t mind if you guys have sex, but no one should have a sex face on around a baby.

Tobirama: We haven’t had sex in months.

Izuna: *mournfully* Me either. I miss it.

Tobirama: I as well.

Madara: *whisper shrieking* CAN WE NOT TALK ABOUT THIS!

Izuna: *innocently* In front of the children?

Madara: AT ALL!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kana means ‘powerful one’ and Kitiara means ‘blade from the north’.
> 
> They are the only two biological daughters that Madara will have with Kikiyo as his surrogate, and Hashirama will be their godparent.
> 
> Since Kikiyo agreed to only one pregnancy, he was lucky to get twins.
> 
> Born of two Uchiha parents, they will, of course be Uchiha, while Niko will get to chose her clan.


	111. Tanabata, Autumn - Izuna (24)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you see something that you do not like.
> 
> (It worries you.)

Izuna is carrying Reo-chan in company with Tobi who is carrying Kana-chan and Kitiara-chan.

He doesn’t know how Tobi does it. They’re still so little but Tobi seems to manage all three of them just fine. It helps that they all share the same house now, and the work doesn’t have to be done twice. Seto’s mother feeds them all while they trade the night shift among them and allow Kikiyo and Tobi to sleep through the night as much as possible. With nii-san on guard, he’s been sleeping soundly with both of his husbands for months and he feels well rested for the first time since Reo-chan was born.

Tobi still insists on doing everyone’s laundry though he did recommend some retired Senju suiton users as a laundry service. Apparently, the Senju have had them for a while, but they never thought that Uchiha would be willing use them. It turns out that they will. In fact, most of the Uchiha are now sending their laundry out to the service, and there’s some talk of the business becoming a partnership if they can convince a retired Uchiha shinobi to come on as a business partner to heat the water. It’s a waste of firewood to use it to boil water for laundry, even if Hashirama-sama can grow new trees whenever he feels like it.

Tobi’s had to stop working with nii-san, though he still supervises the lab in the afternoons while the children are left with Hashirama-sama. A team of three chūnin has replaced him and nii-san is not happy about that. They’re all subjected to constant complaints over dinner about how the new administrative staff never do a good enough job. Personally, he suspects that nii-san just misses seeing Tobi during the day.

They see Tōka over at Kingyo-sukui, and he waves. She waves back, but Tobi frowns. It’s very slight, but it’s there and he knows exactly why. Tobi doesn’t like Tōka’s new lover. Well, neither does he, but it’s not any of their business if the man doesn’t feel quite right to either of them. He’s not a traitor, he’s a Senju, and Tōka likes him. If he has any unsavoury motivations, they’re personal, not political, and thus outside of his purview. Even if he’s the head of T&I, he can’t haul in a fellow member of the village and interrogate them just because he doesn’t like the way they look at one of his friends.

So he grabs Tobi’s wrist and tows him over to Tōka. “Caught any goldfish yet?” he inquires as cheerfully as he can.

“No,” says Tōka, “but Issei caught the medaka.”

Issei-san smiles at both of them in a self-depreciating way. “Oh, I’m sure it was only luck! I would never think to be better than a shinobi at something involving physical skill.”

Maybe it’s that Issei-san is a civilian, but the way he always seems to imply that he’s so much worse than a shinobi at anything physical but acts condescending whenever it’s something to do with business annoys him. He’s not a merchant, and he doesn’t pretend to be one, but he also doesn’t dismiss them. Protecting commerce is one of the main things shinobi do. He’d appreciate it if Issei-san wouldn’t look down on him for it.

Still, he congratulates the man. “Luck or not, it was a good catch!” He turns to Tōka. “Will we see you on the training field tomorrow afternoon? Seto will bring the midday meal, so perhaps we can all eat together before?”

Tōka shakes her head regretfully. “Issei is going to show me one of the new yatai, but I’ll definitely see you on the field after. I still owe you for last week.”

He rubs his jaw theatrically. “I don’t know, I think you got in several good blows yourself.”

She smirks at him. “Then we’ll have to see if I can repeat that performance.”

Issei-san interjects. “I hate to interrupt, but I see my brother over there! Tōka-san, can I introduce you?”

She smiles and nods her farewell to both of them as she follows Issei-san away.

Tobi has been uncharacteristically quiet, but now he speaks up. “I do not like him.”

He shrugs. “I don’t either. But it’s not for any good reason as far as I can see.”

Tobi frowns thoughtfully. “He feels… manipulative. But I do not see what a relationship with Tōka could bring him. She holds no political or financial power within the clan, she cannot bring him contracts or business, and she will not raise children with him. You have investigated him?”

He nods. “Nothing. His business is clean, he’s not in contact with any unapproved shinobi clans, and none of his trading partners are either. He seems to just go back and forth between the village and the capital with cloth. Granted, he trades cotton with the Hyūga merchant factor there since he doesn’t have the connections to sell it to the daimyo’s court directly, and they charge a huge markup on it when they resell it, but that’s not an issue for us.”

Tobi makes an affirmative noise. They’d all agreed it was worth the loss in income to have the Hyūga acting as their unknowing salespeople, making their products fashionable while they hid the village under the cover of the USEATC, to have no one from the daimyo’s court looking at them too closely. When they’re ready to reveal themselves, there will be a market already ready for their goods, accustomed to the fashions that they produce.

So no, there’s nothing.

Tobi looks unsatisfied though.

“We’ll just have to keep an eye on him,” he volunteers, “and that means a lot when the eye is a Sharingan.” He flashes his at Tobi for emphasis, memorising the image of his best friend with his niblings at the same time.

Hey, he can multitask.

Tobi smirks at him. “I’m sure it does. Let us go and find my husband.”

“You just want to check on Niko-chan,” he says, poking Tobi in the ribs.

“And kiss your brother.” Tobi replies. “I can do more than one thing at a time.”

He laughs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Issei’s name is written as 一星 and means “one star”.
> 
> He’s not a bad guy, he’s just interested in Tōka for his own reasons. She’s not going to get her heart broken by him either, Tōka doesn’t invest her whole self in a relationship easily. She’s like Izuna in that way.
> 
> This chapter takes place on August 6, 1829. Niko and Reo are a little over 8 months old. Kana and Kitiara are 2 months old.
> 
> It is also apparently possible to put twin babies in the same wrap. You can see a video of a woman doing it on YouTube [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymtGBnwmuAs). Tobirama is doing the same thing, but he’s also sticking the babies to himself with chakra for extra security.
> 
> Izuna also mentions that Tobirama has given up all of his jobs but one, being the head of the public R&D labs, and that’s the job that he will hold until he retires.
> 
> If you’re curious to know how they’ve divided up the house chores it goes like this:
> 
> Tobirama: Laundry and dishes  
> Seto’s mother: Cooking for everyone - that’s seven adults and four children, two of whom are just starting to gum solids experimentally. It’s a non-trivial task, especially for a woman of fifty five in the Edo Period. Seto helps out here too.  
> Hikaku: Composting. This was literally the only way to take out trash in the Edo Period. Almost everything was used and reused to destruction and then composted. There were repair people for everything.  
> Everyone else: General cleaning. Hikaku, Izuna, and Madara will also take turns chopping wood for the winter now that it’s autumn.  
> The night shift is split between Madara, Izuna, Hikaku, Seto, Hikaku’s sisters (they stand guard together), and Seto’s parents. That means that Madara and Tobirama sleep together five nights out of six, though they share the room with Kikiyo and the babies, and the triad all sleeps together three nights out of six. The babies always co-sleep with Kikiyo and Tobirama so that they can dream feed. It was normal for the time period and many parents in Japan still co-sleep today.
> 
> And yes, the guys have all started having sex again now that they’re less exhausted and not freaking out about their kids so much. Mito’s seals are coming in very handy now that they have so many couples in the same house. And it’s not just one house anymore - Hashirama helped them build another one when Madara and Tobirama moved in, but they’re connected by the engawa. It’s going to keep growing too, and it will eventually become the complex of attached buildings that Itachi and Sasuke grow up in. The house that Madara and Tobirama used to share will eventually become an administrative centre for the Uchiha Clan.


	112. Tanabata, Autumn - Hikaku (25)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you smell something.
> 
> (And you have to do something about it.)

Hikaku is happy.

Reo-chan is giggling in his lap and the warm sun feels good on his back as he watches goshujin-sama spar with Tōka-san.

They’ve divested themselves of weapons and are engaging in a taijutsu only fight. Tōka-san has taken off her armour just as goshujin-sama has removed his mantle, and they make a lovely picture as they advance and retreat, occasionally grappling with each other.

Reo-chan points at goshujin-sama. “Chichi!”

“Yes!” he praises the boy. “Chichi and Tōka-chan!”

He describes what they are doing and Reo-chan waves his arms in excitement. It’s adorable. Less adorable is when he smells the unmistakable smell of Reo-chan needing a nappy change.

Ah well, it was unavoidable. He ladles out some water from the tsukubai next to him to wet a rag, and starts cleaning the baby. Reo-chan squirms but a tickle distracts him enough for the process to be completed.

Tōka-san comes up to them just as they’re finishing, sweaty and panting slightly. “Is that water safe to drink?” she asks suspiciously.

He’s tempted to say no and make her go draw water for herself, but he’s not that heartless so he nods. “The rag was clean.”

She scoops out water and pours it over her head before taking a drink, handing the ladle to goshujin-sama as he comes up beside her. He touches her shoulder in thanks before taking it.

“I don’t know how you do that so fast,” she tells him. “Babies baffle me.”

“Practice,” he shrugs. “And patience.”

Goshujin-sama smiles at him. It’s a joke now, but there was a time when patience and persistence were all that he had to offer. He’s grateful that is no longer the case.

He rises, bringing Reo-chan with him, and kisses goshujin-sama deeply.

When they separate, he flatters himself that it isn’t only the spar with Tōka-san that has brought the charming flush to goshujin-sama’s face.

“Wow, suddenly I feel superfluous.” Tōka-san’s voice reminds them that they’re not alone. “Should I go away?”

He turns to her immediately. “Please don’t. Shujin is expecting you at our house for dinner.”

She laughs at him. “All right. You know you can always bribe me with Seto’s dumplings.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stone water basins (tsukubai) were originally placed in gardens for visitors to wash their hands and mouth before the tea ceremony. The water is provided to the basin by a bamboo pipe, or kakei, and they usually have a wooden ladle for drinking the water.
> 
> Hikaku did not put the rag into the basin. He ladled water out and poured it over the rag in his hand. He’s trolling Tōka by letting her imagine the dirty rag in his hand in the clean basin of water.
> 
> In my research, I discovered there were many types of stone basins, each one with a different word to describe them and all used for different purposes. I couldn’t figure out which one was appropriate and, as such, I just used the name from a website that describes the Ashigaru Shiryokan Samurai Museum in the Nagamachi (Historical Samurai District), of Kanazawa, Japan.
> 
> You can find the website [here](https://buffaloah.com/a/virtual/jap/kanaz_ashig/ashig.html) and it has some lovely photos of the museum.
> 
> The Uchiha training field is just behind their healing hall and Hikaku is sitting on the engawa as he watches Izuna and Tōka. I’m using the pictures as inspiration since I figured that it was the closest thing to the military style housing that shinobi would use for their healing hall.


	113. Tanabata, Autumn - Seto (30)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you look at the moon.
> 
> (And wonder.)

Seto is comfortable.

Looking up at the moon, combing his fingers through Izuna-sama’s hair, koibito’s warm arm around his waist, Reo-chan asleep under the care of Madara-sama, everything is perfect. The night is warm but he wouldn’t give up this closeness simply because of a little too much heat.

The moon is slowly growing brighter and it will be Obon soon.

Tōka-san ate his food tonight.

She hasn’t been around as much since she gave birth to Reo-chan and that is perfectly understandable. She did not ask to be a part of their family, but gifted them her time, energy, and body as a friend. Still, he finds that he misses her presence. He constantly feels the impulse to take care of her as if she was still pregnant, though he knows that she would hit him if he tried. Koibito came home with many bruises the first time they sparred after she gave birth and they all knew that it was a reminder not to underestimate her.

None of them do.

They just want to care for her.

It’s a dangerous desire to feel for someone who is not part of the clan, and he worries about it, but he also knows that she is family through Senju-sama and a fellow shinobi of the village. Hashirama-sama is always saying that the village is family, so perhaps that is enough.

He’s worrying too much and that has always been koibito’s role.

The thought makes him laugh.

His husbands look at him inquiringly, koibito out of the corner of his eye as they sit with sides pressed together, Izuna-sama looking directly up into his face.

“I’m worrying that I care about Tōka-san too much.”

Izuna-sama huffs a laugh and reaches up to cup his face, stroking a thumb over his cheekbone. “We all worry about her. She’s our friend, our surrogate, is only a month into a new relationship, and has a stressful job. It’s natural.”

Koibito says nothing but the arm around his waist tightens.

“I believe that I need to be unable to think tonight.” he confesses. “I need you both.”

Izuna-sama sits up to press a gentle kiss to his lips. “Then you shall have us both.”

Koibito grazes teeth over his neck, making him breathe out harshly against Izuna-sama’s mouth. “Together and always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seto was worrying about his own feelings towards Tōka, but Izuna is worried about Tōka herself. It’s a subtle, but important, distinction.


	114. Obon, Autumn - Izuna (24)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, your vegetables look even odder than normal.
> 
> (Especially when someone in the family has the mokuton.)

Izuna is bemused.

Tobi has taken charge of all four children and is amusing them with swirls of water in the air. Kana-chan and Kitiara-chan can do nothing more than lie on their stomachs while they stare and babble, but Reo-chan and Niko-chan are determinedly crawling after the water and have several wet patches on their clothing to show for their efforts.

He, on the other hand, is supposed to be making the eggplant cow and the cucumber horse, now that he has prepared the flowers.

It’s just that the cucumbers and eggplants look… odd.

He picks up the most suspicious one and waves it at Tobi. “Really?”

Not only has the stem split into two, making the eggplant look like it has horns, it has also clearly bulged at both ends instead of one, giving it a head and a body.

Tobi shrugs.

Fine. He stabs the eggplant with senbon, more viciously than he would otherwise.

At first glance, the cucumber looks more normal. It’s the right colour, and there are no strange bulges or bumps anywhere.

But, if he positions the senbon just right… there! Now the curve makes the cucumber appear as if the head of the horse is lifted proudly, and the attached stem on the other end looks like a very short tail.

He displays his creations to Tobi and the children, waiting with amusement to see Tobi’s response.

“Horse!” yells Reo-chan just as Niko-chan cries “Cow!”

Tobi and he look at the children in surprise.

“Is that…?” he asks Tobi.

“Yes,” Tobi confirms. “Their first real words.”

Reo-chan and Niko-chan reach out towards the animals and he lets them pat the vegetables, careful not to let them touch the senbon.

“Well, there could be worse first words,” he tells Tobi philosophically. “They could have said ‘seedling’.”

Tobi bursts into laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tobirama and Izuna do not count ‘daddy’ as a ‘real’ word.
> 
> 8 months is a little on the early side for a first ‘real’ word, but I’ve known babies who have done it.


	115. Obon, Autumn - Hikaku (25)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you can’t be embarrassed.
> 
> (Even if it’s in public.)

Hikaku is amused.

Tōka-san is even bolder than usual this Bon Odori, and seems to have decided to target goshujin-sama for the first time. When she sings 'Donpan Bushi’, she describes how he laid his head in Shujin’s lap the last time they had a family party. Not to be outdone by their friend, goshujin-sama pushes shujin to sit on the ground and immediately mimics her description to the laughter of everyone.

Seeing that she will be unable to embarrass him, Tōka-san moves on to describe the drunken actions of others. As the focus shifts away from them, Hikaku sits down next to his family and allows Reo-chan to crawl amongst the leaves on the ground. Reo-chan heads straight towards goshujin-sama with a cry of “Chichi!” only to look delighted when goshujin-sama snatches him up and holds him in the air. Reo-chan looks down at his father, who is still flat on the ground and laughing, before kicking wildly as if he is swimming, only for shujin to tickle him.

His family is happy. It warms his heart.

He is distracted by okaasan as she brings a samisen to shujin and bends down to whisper in his ear.

Oh, she wants to perform.

She waits until there is a break in the music and everyone has sat down to rest before she stands up.

She bows first to Hashirama-sama, then Mito-hime, and, finally, to Tōka-san. “I bring an offering of music, if you will allow.”

Hashirama-sama looks at Mito-hime who nods graciously. “Of course, all are welcome.”

Goshujin-sama moves to sit by him, bringing Reo-chan, in order to give shujin space to play.

Shujin checks to make sure that okaasan is ready before he begins to play. Ah, it is Tsugaru Jongara Bushi. Goshujin-sama settles back against him. They both love this piece.

And then okaasan begins to sing.

Reo-chan claps along in goshujin-sama’s lap and they smile at him, but their eyes are drawn to shujin.

As the song ends, okaasan bows and everyone cheers, some even toasting her with sake.

Shujin puts the samisen aside and comes to sit beside him.

He cannot resist.

He tips shujin’s face up and kisses him.

There are gasps of surprise all around, but he does not care for his dignity.

This man is his husband and he cares not who knows of their love.

Shujin breaks off. He’s breathing hard, and his fingers are moving as if to grasp and hold.

Reo-chan is deposited in his arms and goshujin-sama presses between them to kiss shujin in turn.

Sharingan spinning, he can’t take his eyes off them.

Kikiyo oneesan comes over and takes Reo-chan from him. “Go home,” she says. Her voice is stern, but a smile is lifting the corner of her lips.

He hastily rises, offering a hand to each of his husbands to pull them to their feet.

Even as they leave the celebration, he can hear everyone laughing at them.

It doesn’t matter.

Tonight is going to be a very good night, and he intends to take full advantage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find out more about Tsugaru Jongara Bushi [here](https://www.komuso.com/pieces/pieces.pl?piece=2518).
> 
> I thought that the lyrics were a good fit for a woman who left her home for duty and longed to return.
> 
> It’s one of the most popular pieces to play at Tsugaru competitions, but the version that I liked the best for Seto is [this one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJhlX6Lkq_Y).


	116. Obon, Autumn - Madara (26)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you dream.
> 
> (Of your siblings.)

Madara is dreaming.

He can tell.

It’s a familiar feeling from last year.

Once again, he is sitting on the engawa, overlooking the koi pond.

But this is not the house he he built with Izuna, a faithful copy of the house they grew up in.

It’s the house that he and yome now share with Seto’s family. Or, houses he supposes, since they are technically separate, though the engawa connects them.

In the garden, squatting by the pond, staring at Izuna’s medaka, are Kuro-hime and Togakushi.

He feels tears rising in his eyes. It’s been so long.

He flares his Sharingan just so that he will have this memory of them. They must feel it, for they look up immediately. Kuro-hime scrambles up and runs towards him, pulling Togakushi along behind her. They all crash together in a tangle of limbs and he feels the twins for the first time in years.

Kuro-hime reaches up and wipes away the tears that are flowing down his cheeks. Her fingers are so small and delicate. Just like with nii-san, the contrast with his memories is startling.

Togakushi’s small arms make a valiant effort to squeeze him, though they aren’t able to go around him completely. “Don’t cry, nii-san! We’re happy to see you!”

He chokes on his own tears. “I’ve just missed you so, Togakushi, Kuro-hime. I never told you both… I love you.”

Kuro-hime laughs at him. “We know! We always knew!”

“It was obvious!” Togakushi says, right after her. “Everyone knew!”

“I didn’t,” he confesses. “I didn’t know how much until you were both gone.”

They separate and come to sit on either side of him. Kuro-hime tucks herself under his arm and hugs it comfortingly. “That just means that we were smarter than you about it.” She sounds smug.

He can’t help it. He laughs. “You haven’t changed at all!”

“Even though my body now matches me?” Her voice is quiet.

“Even though.” He confirms. “Even since Izuna told me, you have been Kuro-hime to me. It has been a great regret to me that I did not think to call you Kuro-hime before you left us. Ever year since, I have hoped to see you, to tell you…”

Togakushi hugs his other arm. “We knew. But Taetaka nii-san needed to see you first. He had things to say.”

“And we are glad we waited!” Kuro-hime chimes in. Her voice is like the sweetest of bells. “We can tell you that we like your babies!”

“Yes!” Togakushi agrees. “They’re twins, like us!”

As always, the thought of his children makes him smile. “They are.” he agrees “and they will grow up hearing about their aunt and uncle.”

“That’s good to know,” Togakushi tells him. “But don’t tell them how we died. We don’t want them to remember us like that.”

“Tell them about the things we did.” The look in Kuro-hime’s eye is mischievous. “Like the time we put a fish in your futon.”

He gasps. “That was _you_?! I thought it was Izuna!”

They both giggle madly. Brats.

Togakushi calms first. “Tell them that we were fun.”

The dream is fading. He wants to cling to it, but knows that it will do him no good. He hugs them one last time instead.

“Tell them that we were funny!” Kuro-hime’s yell is the last thing he hears.

He wakes up.


	117. Obon, Autumn - Seto (30)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, things change.
> 
> (It’s a very good thing.)

Seto is watching Izuna-sama wade out into the river to release their boat.

Right next to him, Kikiyo releases hers and Hikaku’s sisters release theirs.

All four of them stand in the water and watch as the boats float away down the river, carried on the current, katon burning steadily. Kikiyo’s flame is a little brighter than Hikaku’s sisters, but unwavering.

He’s glad to know that she feels safe revealing even that much.

Reo-chan’s eyes are wide, watching everything from where he’s strapped to yome. During the walk down to the rive he’d been very insistent about reaching out to the vegetable animals, and his eyes seem to find theirs unerringly among the herd on the river bank.

This is his family, both of blood and of choice.

These are the men that his heart has chosen to love, and this is the son that their friend has given them.

As the boats float around the bend and out of sight, the whole clan releases a collective sigh. The ancestors are on their way back to the Pure Lands.

Everyone who is still in the water makes their way to the river bank. As they splash out of the water, a wave of Senju-sama’s hand calls the water out of their clothing and there is a general murmur as all of them thank him in turn. All except for goshujin-sama who embraces his friend instead, careful of Kana-chan and Kitiara-chan who are asleep against Senju-sama’s front.

How things have changed.

Before, Senju-sama’s casual use of suiton would have been cause for fear. Now the clan takes it almost for granted.

He’s grateful.

Reo-chan is part of Izuna-sama’s line now, and is unlikely to follow him into the same kind of work as his ancestors have traditionally been called upon to do, but, should it happen, it’s good to know that any lovers brought home will not face the same kind of suspicion that his parents faced.

Sometimes, change is a good thing.


	118. Almost Time to Run (or Not), Autumn - Izuna (24)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you have something to say.
> 
> (But you don’t know how to say it.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning:
> 
> This chapter contains allusions to sex and petting. No clothing comes off and all hands stay over the clothing.
> 
> Please, read with care for yourself and skip if that is not for you.

Izuna is amused.

The family has gone to bed, their guests have left, and it’s only them on the engawa looking at the moon.

Hikaku’s sisters have volunteered to guard the children tonight, saying that the rest of them will be up all night tomorrow. It’s true, but the real reason is that everyone wanted to give Seto the chance to say whatever was on his mind.

The way everyone left the engawa as soon as they could made that very obvious.

Hikaku and he have pressed themselves on either side of Seto, Hikaku supporting Seto from behind and he’s laid his head in Seto’s lap, hoping to offer reassurance, but Seto isn’t saying it, whatever it is.

If Seto doesn’t start talking, he’s going to have to begin whining in a minute.

Hikaku wraps an arm around Seto’s waist, tangling their fingers together. Seto’s other hand, combing through the fall of his hair as it’s spread over a thigh pauses before starting again. “What is it?”

Seto blushes faintly. “I want something. But there’s no way for me to ask for it.”

Ah. So that’s it.

He stretches his hand up to touch Seto’s mouth, using his thumb to pull the lower lip down slightly into a pout. “You want what we talked about last year. You want to hunt me. You want to Catch me.”

“More than that,” his husband confesses. “I want to claim you. To have you immediately, with all of the urgency of the Run.”

He’s puzzled about why it took shujin a year to make this request. “Why do you think I wouldn’t want that? I suggested it after all.”

“It will not be gentle.” Shujin looks embarrassed. “I always… calm myself, after. Remind myself of what we have planned, what we have offered, what you have accepted. Without that time… I will have no control.”

He sees it now. Shujin has always been in control in their bed, unless he’s spread out under them, willingly giving himself up, letting them do as they please. He’s always been too careful of them to lose himself in lust while inside either of them.

“Then let me take control.” Yome’s voice has gone deep the way it always does when he’s aroused. “Let me handle you. You know that you can trust me to stop you if it becomes necessary.”

Shujin nods slowly, breath coming fast against his thumb. A clever tongue licks him, a quick flick, barely there but for the sensation of movement and the wetness it leaves behind. A subtle tease. He makes his touch firmer in return, stroking that mouth that he loves.

“You know that I will love it. Just the the thought of you, without control…” he shivers. “Feel what it does to me.”

Shujin releases yome’s hand in order to stroke him slowly through his yukata. He arches up into the touch, twisting to display himself. “Let them Run tomorrow. Then we will take the night for ourselves. Pursue me, Run me to ground, and have me as you wish.”

The hand in his hair fists suddenly, holding him still for a bruising kiss. “I want, I want… I don’t know what I want.” Shujin pants against his mouth. “Just that it’s you.”

Shujin’s voice sounds hoarse, desperate with desire. It only enflames him further. “I don’t care. I want it too.”

Yome’s voice cuts through the fog of lust like a blade. “I will not let you hurt each other.”

Shujin sits up, breathing deeply. Three breaths and he is calm once more. “And I thank you for that.” A flush colours his cheeks, deep enough that it is obvious even in the moonlight. “You, ah, might want to prepare yourself first. Before.”

He lays his head back down in shujin’s lap, relaxing even as he feels shujin’s arousal against his cheek. It’s very promising. He smiles wickedly up at his husband. “Yome can do it. In fact, yome can make sure that I am ready for you in _every_ way.”

Yome bursts out laughing even as shujin shudders with arousal. “You are evil.”

He turns his face, pressing a kiss to the part of shujin that wants him so ardently. “I try.”


	119. Omake - Not Running Right Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you talk.
> 
> (And tell stories.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning:
> 
> This chapter contains a discussion about sex.
> 
> Please, read with care for yourself and skip if that is not for you.

Tōka: … and that is how Tobirama fell asleep and ran into a tree!

Izuna: *laughs uproariously* You’ve got to be joking!

Tōka: No, I swear it’s true! He really did.

Tobirama: *face down, voice muffled by the tatami* I should never have introduced you both.

Tōka: *pets his head* Too late for that, Tobirama.

Izuna: Ooh! I have a good one! Did I ever tell you about the genjutsu I put Tobi in when my team was making the seal?

Tōka: No! Tell me!

Tobirama: *turns his head just enough to glare at them with one red eye* Why does it always have to be me. Tell embarrassing stores about yourselves.

Izuna: *thoughtfully* Okay, that’s fair. Um, did I ever tell you the story of how I rolled off the futon?

Tobirama: *sitting up* No.

Izuna: So, I was kissing Hikaku on the futon…

Tobirama: *makes face* No.

Izuna: *mercilessly* You asked for an embarrassing story about me, you’re getting one!

Tōka: *laughing at them* So?

Izuna: Then Kikiyo-san said something from just outside of our room, and I rolled off the futon and right through the shōji, across the engawa, and into the garden.

Tōka: *pointing at Izuna, laughing* No!

Izuna: *laughing too* Yes! Nearly concussed myself on the tsukubai!

Tōka: In that case, I have one.

Izuna: *leaning forward* Let’s hear it.

Tōka: Well, I was having sex with Issei and he was licking me.

Izuna: *points at his crotch* There?

Tōka: Yep.

Tobirama: *face palm* I do not think this is an improvement…

Tōka: *waves a finger at him* You asked for embarrassing stories!

Tobirama: But must they be about sex?

Izuna: Yes!

Tobirama: Why?

Tōka: Because you make faces when you hear them.

Tobirama: *makes a face* I see.

Izuna: *laughing* So what happened then?

Tōka: He started coughing.

Tobirama: *puzzled* Coughing?

Izuna: *laughing even harder* He didn’t!

Tōka: *laughing too* He did! And he swallowed it!

Kana: *wails*

Tobirama: *picks up Kana and begins to breastfeed, very serious voice* Your aunt and uncle are crazy. Never let them advise you on sex.

Izuna: Excuse me! I would give the best advice ever!

Tōka: Not better than me! I bet I have more experience than you, I’ve certainly had more partners!

Izuna: *snippily* It’s not how many partners you’ve had, it only matters if they’re happy or not!

Tobirama: *to Kana, as Izuna and Tōka argue* Never. Please.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place on September 13, 1829. Niko and Reo are almost 10 months old while Kana and Kitiara are 3 months old.
> 
> In Tōka’s story, Tobirama was extremely sleep deprived because he was staying up all night inventing new jutsu, and he insisted on running the patrol assigned to him anyway. Tōka shadowed him and watched him fall asleep on his feet and run face first into a tree.
> 
> In her other story, if anyone wants to know, Issei ate a public hair. Oops.
> 
> The three of them did this last year when neither Izuna nor Tobirama participated in the Run, and it’s absolutely going to become a tradition. Both of them love to embarrass Tobirama and they’ll keep doing it for as long as he’ll agree to suffer it. Eventually, when the kids grow up, it becomes about embarrassing them.


	120. Time to Run (or Not), Autumn - Hikaku (26)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you see something that you never noticed before.
> 
> (It’s amazing.)

Hikaku is amazed.

He has never seen shujin like this.

Never.

Of the three of them, shujin is always the most in control during sex unless he chooses not to be.

Goshujin-can be pushed to mindlessness, but shujin never. It’s always a choice, made with consideration and care. To know that shujin has always been this close to losing all control, every year that they have pursued goshujin-sama… it’s astonishing.

This afternoon, as they prepared, goshujin-sama and he discussed this.

Somehow, neither of them ever knew this about shujin.

None of them know what to expect, but they have prepared all that they can nonetheless.

Shujin wears the seal created by Senju-sama, and both he and goshujin-sama can activate it. He is armed as throughly as he would be for a mission, and carries the seals gifted to them by Mito-hime to ensure privacy and safety. He will guard and observe, stepping in only as required or requested, and they prepared goshujin-sama’s body as well as they could.

The memory of what they did heats his blood but he tamps it down. Tonight is for shujin. Perhaps, if this goes well…

He puts the thought aside.

Goshujin-sama is being deliberately provoking. His touch is a tease and a promise even as he kisses shujin lightly on the lips. “Remember. A hundred heartbeats, no more, and then come find me. I’ll be waiting for you.”

Shujin only nods, Sharingan flaring, tomoe spinning wildly, hands clenching with the desire to grasp and hold.

As goshujin-sama smiles at him, he feels the same urge as well.

Goshujin-sama spins around and flees out of the compound.

They both begin to count.


	121. Time to Run (or Not), Autumn - Seto (31)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you are given a gift.
> 
> (It is yours to take.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning:
> 
> This chapter contains an explicit sex scene and extremely possessive language.
> 
> If the language is an issue for you, the next chapter will describe what Seto is actually saying and it's somewhat different to what’s running through his head.
> 
> Please, read with care for yourself and skip if that is not for you.

Seto is running.

The flash of goshujin-sama’s mantle taunts him.

Goshujin-sama is always just ahead, never far away, close enough to be sensed, almost close enough to be touched, but never so close as to be caught.

He crashes into a clearing and finds goshujin-sama smiling at him.

He lunges, taking them both to the forest floor.

There is no subtlety in him tonight.

He rips open the neck of goshujin-sama’s mantle and bites down hard on the neck that it hides.

He wants this. Everyone will see his claim. Everyone will know that goshujin-sama is his.

He moves his mouth lower, tearing the mantle away as it obstructs his progress. He lays bites and kisses in abundance, lingering over a nipple when goshujin-sama responds so beautifully.

Then it’s down over the thin skin of the ribs, and then the flat muscles of the abdomen. His hands pin goshujin-sama’s hips and he mouths over goshujin-sama’s pelvis. He wants goshujin-sama to want him. He needs it.

And goshujin-sama does.

He takes the evidence of it into his mouth, groaning with delight.

Yes, this.

Goshujin-sama cries out his name, and he redoubles his efforts.

He draws his tongue against the frenulum, lapping over and over again, loving the fluid that he receives in return.

He doesn’t relent until goshujin-sama jerks and spills in his mouth.

He swallows, licking his lips as he pulls away. He wants more of goshujin-sama.

He moves lower, treasuring the keening cry that goshujin-sama releases as his entrance is kissed. He laves over it, tasting.

Tasting something unexpected.

There is something inside goshujin-sama.

Something wonderful.

Yome.

Yome did this.

He can taste both of them now.

He licks and sucks until goshujin-sama is moaning, incoherent with need.

He continues until goshujin-sama is shouting his name, calling out pleas to be claimed.

Only then does he force his mouth away, gasping.

He pushes himself into goshujin-sama’s body.

He will fill goshujin-sama.

Goshujin-sama is his.

His husband.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Hikaku fucked Izuna beforehand.


	122. Time to Run (or Not), Autumn - Izuna (25)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you hear something.
> 
> (That you never knew was true.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains an explicit sex scene.
> 
> Please, read with care for yourself and skip if that is not for you.

Izuna is thinking.

And it is wonderful.

To feel shujin like this, knowing that shujin is so desperate for him as to abandon all the usual careful preparations is amazing.

To know that shujin, even mindless, still wants to bring him over, still cares for him enough to want his pleasure and not just his body, fills his heart with love.

He clings to his husband, listening as shujin pours a litany of praise and uncertainty into his ears.

“I never thought I would have this.”

“You’re so beautiful.”

“I always feared that you would love yome more than I.”

“I can’t bear to lose you.”

“Please, please, never leave me.”

He’s not even sure that shujin knows what he’s saying.

The words are not delivered in shujin’s usual deliberate provocative tones, smooth and warm, murmured into his hair and skin. They’re muttered, almost incoherent, gasped as much as said.

He treasures every word.

This is his husband’s heart, and he holds it precious and safe.

He whispers reassurances in turn.

“I love you for yourself, and yourself alone.”

“I’ll never leave you of my own will.”

“I never want to let you go.”

“Have me forever.”

The last is what pushes shujin over, the hands on his hips clenching tight enough to leave bruises, even as shujin collapses on him.

He bears the weight with love and gratitude.

Yome bends over shujin, kissing him gently on the nape of his neck, before biting down hard and making shujin jerk inside him, causing them both to groan with the movement.

Shujin spread his legs, moaning as yome traces his entrance with an oiled finger. “Oh, yes, please, I want.”

He smiles at yome, even as shujin whimpers into his neck, having never fully gone soft and twitching with oversensitivity as he’s brought back to arousal again.

If yome believes that they are safe enough for this, then he will trust in that.

Yome stretches shujin, gently, carefully, but relentlessly, before fitting himself into the space that he has made.

Together, yome brings them all to the peak again and takes them over, whispering words of praise and desire the whole time.

He doesn’t know what he did to deserve these men, these husbands who have brought him so much joy, but he will always be grateful for their presence in his life.

And his bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first time they’ve all had penetrative sex together unprotected by Kikiyo.
> 
> They’re trusting in _Mito’s_ seals.
> 
> That’s a lot of trust for someone they were fighting eight years ago.


	123. Lunar New Year, Spring - Seto (31)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you miss someone.
> 
> (That isn’t truly yours.)

Seto is content.

Almost all of their family is in their house.

From Madara-sama, Senju-sama, Hashirama-sama, and Mito-hime, to Hikaku’s parents and siblings, the families of his husbands are within their home and celebrating the turn of the season.

It was their first winter without Madara-sama and Senju-sama since their families have come together for the children, and it was a quiet one.

Only one family of the three was gone, but everyone missed them.

Reo-chan most of all.

His cousins from koibito’s family came over to play often but, at nine and six, they are far too old be interested in a child who had just become one.

They all had to get used to Reo-chan’s pitiful crying for Niko-chan.

He’d never slept without her before.

Izuna-sama also had to take on additional responsibilities in supervising Senju-sama’s labs as well as much of the administration for the clan. He and koibito helped as much as they could, but Izuna-sama certainly bore most of the burden.

So it is a relief to have them all back.

Reo-chan and Niko-chan, in particular, have been inseparable.

But one person is still missing.

It is, of course, understandable for Tōka-san to celebrate the new year with her lover’s family. She was invited to both celebrations, but did not choose them.

That’s fine.

It just feels like she should be with them instead.

From the expression of koibito’s face, he can tell that they are in agreement on this.

Next year, it may be time to invite Issei-san. Surely they can share her.

Surely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place on January 25, 1830. Niko and Reo are 1 year and 2 months old. Kana and Kitiara are almost 8 months old.


	124. Hanami, Spring - Hikaku (26)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura trees.
> 
> (Can be fun to play with.)

Hikaku looks up at the sakura trees.

All of the sakura trees are in bloom. The ume trees too, and the scent of their blossoms is heady in the air.

He feels intoxicated but he is not drunk.

In fact, no one is. It seems that, if Hashirama-sama does not bring out the sake, everyone will follow his lead.

This year, it is Kana-chan and Kitiara-chan who are sharing space on one of Hashirama-sama’s overlarge haori. They are lying on their backs, staring up at the sakura blossoms overhead.

Hashirama-sama is lying down next to them, making the trees bend down so that their branches are almost close enough to touch. The children reach out, only to find that the tips of their fingers are not quite long enough. The trees shake, almost as if they are laughing, and more petals fall. The babies giggle delightedly.

Then Kana-chan lunges upright and catches a branch. The tree snaps upright, as if in surprise, and Kana-chan is suddenly dangling in the air. Senju-sama jumps up into the tree to rescue her, but she seems to have felt no fear at all, laughing the whole time. 

Kitiara-chan protests the special treatment that her twin is receiving and Hashirama-sama promptly scoops her into his arms before climbing a tree as well.

Not to be outdone, Madara-sama wraps up Niko-chan and ties her to himself before joining them.

Soon, Reo-chan is the only toddler in their family who is still on the ground. He crawls over to them and pats goshujin-sama on the knee. “Chichi! Up! Up!!!”

Goshujin-sama turns his head to smile at them. “Yes?”

In turn, shujin looks at him.

Somehow, he has been nominated as the voice of sanity in this family when it comes to child rearing.

Still, they _are_ shinobi.

“Yes.” He tells them.

With a whoop of joy, goshujin-sama lunges for Reo-chan, tickling him mercilessly until Reo-chan is a little laughing ball, before wrapping him up tightly and binding them together. “Ready?” he asks.

“Up!” Reo-chan yells it right in his ear, causing goshujin-sama to wince slightly before launching himself into the branches.

Soon all four of them are leaping from brach to branch, obeying the children’s cries to climb up or down, as requested.

Tōka-san is doubled over with laughter as she watches them, while Issei-san looks on with alarm.

Senju-sama’s students are all crowding under the trees and clamouring to have a turn with the children even as goshujin-sama shouts for them to wait until he’s done playing.

Choosing another playmate, Kagami-kun lifts his niece into a tree and follows her onto a strong branch. Akimichi-kun volunteers to be used as a step by his nephew who clambers into the trees like a monkey. The rest of Senju-sama’s students join them.

Mito-hime is gazing up at Hashirama-sama who is laughing loudly as he attaches Kitiara-chan to himself with vines until she’s a little wriggling green bundle and only her head can be seen.

She looks speculative. Perhaps they will have a child soon. Hashirama-sama would be a wonderful parent. He’s very good with all of their children and looks after them regularly. Kikiyo oneesan has even made a place in his schedule for it so that they will not be disturbed, and everyone who works in the tower is now very accustomed to hearing the laughter of children coming from his office.

Well, it’s not his place to question their relationship.

Still, they are part of his family now, and he hopes.

He would like them to be as happy as he.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hikaku’s nephew is 9 and his niece is 6. Neither of them have shown any signs of having chakra, and are unable to tree walk. Hikaku is trusting Team Tobirama to keep them safe.


	125. Omake - Summer Planting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things, you never get used to.
> 
> (Being told your sperm is pollen is one of them.)

Tōka: Ready to pollinate?

Hikaku: *grimaces* Must you?

Tōka: *smirking* As long as you make that face, yes.

Hikaku: *face palm* I need to control my face better.

Izuna: *kisses Hikaku on the cheek briefly* No, don’t do that! I like it just as it is.

Tōka: *pokes Izuna between the eyes* You guys are adorable.

Izuna: *pokes Tōka in the abdomen* You just wait until you’re huge again, and then you’ll be the adorable one, Baby Maker!

Tōka: *grimaces* Ugh, I’m not supposed to be adorable! I’m supposed to be intimidating!

Hikaku: *very seriously* You are, believe me.

Izuna: Unless you’re waddling, then you’re cute.

Tōka: *punches Izuna in the shoulder* Shut up! I am not!

Izuna: You agree with me, right, Hikaku? Tell her I’m right!

Hikaku: *backing off* No, I will not. I am here only to provide the pollen, not to take sides in your debates.

Tōka: HAH!

Izuna: And now they’ve got you saying it!

Hashirama: *pokes head through the door* Saying what?

Izuna: *points dramatically at Hikaku* HIKAKU CALLED HIS SPERM POLLEN!

Hashirama: *bemused* Because it is?

Hikaku: Also, can you not yell, goshujin-sama?

Izuna: *sulkily* Fine.

Hikaku: *tips Izuna’s face up for a kiss* You know I love you.

Izuna: *smiling up at Hikaku* I do.

Tōka: This is all very sweet and all, completely adorable, but you did remember the sperm right? We don’t have to step out while you guys get some?

Izuna: *gives Tōka a dirty look* No, you don’t.

Hikaku: *holds out a glass container of semen* As requested, Hashirama-sama.

Hashirama: *takes it* Thanks! Okay, Tōka-nee, take off your pants please!

Hikaku: *looks away*

Tōka: *wriggling out of her pants* Seriously, you too? It’s not like you haven’t had your hands all over my thighs!

Izuna: *a little jealously* What! When!

Hikaku: A year or so before we Caught you.

Izuna: *whisper shrieking* YOU TWO HAD SEX?! 

Hikaku: *aghast* No!

Tōka: *laying down on the futon* Relax, he stitched me up when I got cut on the training field just after the village formed. One of your kids forgot it was a spar and lashed out. I wasn’t expecting it and didn’t move fast enough.

Izuna: *calming down* Okay, I’m sorry about that. How come I never heard about this?

Hikaku: I’m not sure, I certainly reported it to Madara-sama.

Izuna: We were having a lot of training accidents at the time, it’s true.

Hashirama: *applies semen to Tōka's cervix* Can you have this conversation afterwards? I need quiet to concentrate.

Izuna: Sorry.

Hikaku: My apologies, Hashirama-sama.

*silence for a while*

Hashirama: *muttering* Little bit more… go higher… that’s good… yes… 

Izuna: *makes a face*

Hashirama: *getting louder* Come on, come on… YES! Good choice!

Tōka: *silently laughs at Izuna*

Hashirama: *at normal volume* Nearly there now! Yes, yes, yes! Go! That’s right, you can do it!

Hikaku: *puts hands over his face, blushing furiously*

Hashirama: *almost shouting* Seed! Right there!

Izuna: *silently laughs at Hikaku*

Hashirama: *yelling* POLLINATION!

Hikaku: *groans with embarrassment*

Hashirama: *looks up* What? Are you okay?

Izuna: *waves him off* Never mind Hikaku, the question is - did it work?

Hashirama: *mildly offended* Of course it did!

Hikaku: *bows to Hashirama, red faced* I am very grateful for your help, Hashirama-sama.

Izuna: *bows too* Yes, thank you very much!

Hashirama: *bows back* No, no thanks necessary! Happy to help!

Tōka: *putting her pants back on* Yes, you’re all very grateful to him, what about me!

Hikaku: *bowing to her too* You know that you have our undying gratitude for this. Whatever we can do to make this easier for you, we will.

Izuna: You know that, Baby Maker!

Tōka: Ugh, I think I preferred it when you weren’t all polite at me. Just feed me Seto’s dumplings, and massage my feet. You already do all the paperwork.

Hikaku: Done.

Izuna: Wait, why don’t you like my massages?!

Tōka: Because you can never resist the urge to tickle me. Hikaku is sensible enough to know that I’ll kick him in the face if he does that. Somehow, you never seem to learn.

Hikaku: *faintly smug* He does that.

Izuna: *whisper shrieking* AND _NOW_ YOU TAKE _HER_ SIDE!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Hashirama yells “POLLINATION!”, in my head it’s in the the same tone that my British colleagues used to yell “YEAH!” during Manchester United games when their team scored.


	126. Omake - Fight!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you just need to hit something.
> 
> (Or someone.)

Tōka: *inside* I DON’T CARE! FIND ME SOMEONE TO HIT THAT ISN’T YOU!

Izuna: *opening the door to Hikaku’s office* Okay… what’s happening?

Tōka: *spinning to face him* HIT ME!

Izuna: *punches her in the arm* Sure.

Tōka: *points at Izuna* SEE!

Hikaku: *hands up, backing off* As I said, I’m willing to spar Tōka-san.

Tōka: I DON’T WANT TO SPAR! I WANT TO FIGHT! SOMEONE NOT YOU! YOU DON’T HIT ME PROPERLY ANYMORE! I’M PREGNANT NOT INCAPABLE!

Hikaku: I would never think that, Tōka-san!

Tōka: THEN WHY WON’T YOU FIGHT ME!

Hikaku: Because I don’t want to hurt you!

Tōka: *pushes past Izuna* ARGH!

Izuna: *puts the bento he’s carrying down on Hikaku’s desk* So, what was that all about?

Hikaku: I’m not sure. She came in and demanded a fight.

Izuna: And?

Hikaku: I offered to spar. She refused. She’s also refused everyone who offered. I think she wants something as close to battle as possible and no one will give her that.

Izuna: Ah. Well, I will.

Hikaku: *shocked* Goshujin-sama!

Izuna: *touches Hikaku on the cheek* Trust me not to hurt her. She’s our baby maker.

Hikaku: *bends to press their foreheads together* But she will hurt _you_.

Izuna: *laughing* And then you can kiss me better.

Hikaku: *kisses Izuna* I will.


	127. Omake - No, Really, Fight!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, someone offers to hit you.
> 
> (And it’s exactly what you want.)

Izuna: BABY MAKER!

Tōka: *hitting a training post with each word* DON’T! TALK! TO! ME!

Izuna: FIGHT ME!

Tōka: *turns around, panting* Don’t say that unless you mean it.

Izuna: *stripping off his mantle* I mean it. ‘Anything you need’, we said and we meant it. If you don’t like the way Hikaku does it, take me instead.

Tōka: *looks him over* You sure?

Izuna: No rules, no boundaries. Or are you scared?

Tōka: *bares her teeth at him* The day I’m afraid of you is the day I put down my naginata and die.

Izuna: *looks around pointedly* Well, I don’t see your naginata anywhere…

Tōka: *snarls* I’ll kill you.

Izuna: *smiles mockingly* You can _try_.

Tōka: *charges him*

Izuna: *springs back* Too slow!

Tōka: *darts in and backhands him* Hah!

Izuna: *spits out blood* I’ll give you that one.

Tōka: *grabs for his wrist*

Izuna: *dodges* 

Tōka: *chases him around the training field* Stand still, damn you!

Izuna: *panting* What, can’t dance anymore? To slow? Waddling already?

Tōka: *screaming* SHUT UP!

Izuna: *yelling back* MAKE ME!

Tōka: *creates a doton under Izuna’s feet*

Izuna: *leaps to the side, blows out a massive fireball*

Tōka: *dodges the fireball, charges in barehanded*

Izuna: *grabs her forearms, grunting* Can’t break this?

Tōka: *breaking the hold* You wish!

Izuna: *sweeps her legs out from under her*

Tōka: *flat on her back, uses her calves to trip him*

Izuna: *falls over*

Tōka: *kicks out, hits Izuna in the ribs*

Izuna: *kicks back, hitting her in the thigh*

Tōka: *rolls on top of him* Got you.

Izuna: *goes limp* I yield.

Tōka: *collapses on top of him, panting* 

*silence for a while except for the crackle of flames from several training posts on fire*

Tōka: *rubs her face against his neck*

Izuna: *strokes her hair* You okay, Baby Maker?

Tōka: … Issei left.

Izuna: … I’m sorry.

Tōka: He said he needed someone who would raise his kids, not give birth to other people’s.

Izuna: Bastard.

Tōka: … his parents are married.

Izuna: *huffs a laugh* Doesn’t mean he’s not a bastard.

Tōka: We just wanted different things.

Izuna: *tries to look her in the eye, she avoids his gaze* Baby Maker. Tōka. I’m your friend. I’m on your side. He hurt you. He’s a bastard.

Tōka: He didn’t.

Izuna: You went to Hikaku and tried to start a fight. Then you tried to fight everyone. Then you went outside and punched a training post until your knuckles bled. He hurt you. He’s a bastard.

Tōka: … Fine. He’s a bastard.

Izuna: See? That wasn’t so hard.

Tōka: Ugh. Why do you always have to have the final word on everything.

Izuna: It comes from being the youngest. Also, you passed on your habit of saying questions without question marks to Tobi.

Tōka: *starts laughing into his neck* He’s a little shit.

Izuna: *running his fingers through her hair* He is.

Tōka: *pushing herself up onto her forearms, staring him in the eye* Hey. Thanks.

Izuna: *leaning up to kiss her on the forehead* Anytime, Baby Maker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the previous one happen on the same day, a week before Tanabata.
> 
> Tōka is 14 weeks pregnant and just starting to show a baby bump. She’s just entered the second trimester and is much less likely to miscarry from here on out, but Hikaku is in full mother hen mode and keeps going easy on her when sparing. He doesn’t stop her from taking missions or anything - he could, because he’s the Jōnin commander, but he isn’t - but he can’t make himself hit her. She keeps hitting him, but - no matter how many bruises she sends him home with - he won’t hit her back the way she wants. He keeps pulling his blows.
> 
> Izuna is not. He’s going all out, just like she is. Izuna is, however, restricting himself to not hitting her in the torso, going mainly for attacks on her limbs. It’s subtle enough that she can’t convince herself to care about it in her anger. If he pushed it in her face, she’d yell at him about it, but, as it is, plausible deniability is working for both of them.
> 
> If anyone wants to know what was happening with Issei, you can you can check out chapter 97 of _The World Building of Courting Culture Confusion_ , _World Building - The Four-Tiered Class System of Feudal Japan_


	128. Tanabata, Autumn - Izuna (25)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you stake your claim.
> 
> (And people are nice enough to let you.)

Izuna is surrounded by children.

And Tobi.

Between the two of them, they have four kids who are all doing their very best to escape to different parts of the festival.

It’s the only reason that Tōka agreed to help even though she’s uncomfortable around children - they needed an extra pair of hands.

At least that’s what they told her.

In reality, it’s because Issei will be at the festival tonight and they don’t want to leave her alone.

So far, they haven’t asked her to do anything beyond fetch drinks and food while they make sure the children stay together and she seems comfortable with that, but he can see Issei over at the yatai next to Kingyo-sukui.

He grabs her wrist and tows her over, making eye contact with Tobi as he does.

Tobi gives him the smallest of nods and lures the children over to Kingyo-sukui with the promise of the chance of catching a goldfish.

“Issei! How are you? Did you try your hand at Kingyo-sukui this year?”

Issei looks uncomfortable. He should.

“Ah, no, Izuna-sama. I didn’t think I’d be able to repeat my catch from last year.”

Tōka bares her teeth at him. It’s not a smile. “Oh, you should try! You never know!”

Her voice is sadistically cheerful. He mimics it.

“Yes, you should!”

Faced with their united front, Issei has no choice. He follows them over and takes a poi.

He scoops several times but catches nothing. Somehow the fish all avoid his net.

“I try!” announces Niko-chan, taking the poi from him.

A single scoop nets her two goldfish for her bowl.

Her next scoop nets her the medaka.

She squeals with delight. “Three!”

The she sees Issei’s face, reddened with embarrassment at being outdone by a toddler.

She carefully tips the two goldfish into another bowl and presents it to him. “For you,” she says. “I share!”

Issei takes the bowl solemnly. “Thank you, Uchiha-hime.”

Niko-chan giggles at him. “Not hime! Niko!”

No one can resist that laugh, it seems, not even Issei, for he smiles at her. “Then thank you Niko-chan.”

“Is fair. You fish, I fish. Both fish. All happy.” Niko-chan seems to lose interest after that, turning around and shouting encouragement at Reo-chan who is having a harder time of it.

Issei turns to them, holding the bowl like it contains something precious.

Because it does.

His smile is rueful now. “Thank you, both of you. Your children are lovely.”

Izuna smiles back. “Thank you. We couldn’t have done any of this without Tōka.” He rests his hand on Tōka’s waist, drawing attention to the place where their baby is growing in her body. “She has been very kind to us. We would do anything we could to make this easier on her.”

Issei bows. “I understand. Please excuse me.”

Izuna watches with satisfaction as Issei retreats and then turns to face Tōka’s mocking expression. “Done fighting over me?” she enquires in her sweetest tones.

He grins at her. “I would never. I only fight _for_ you, Baby Maker. At least until you hit me for it.”

Her laughter is music to his ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is Izuna staking a claim on Tōka - ‘My surrogate, not your girlfriend anymore, hurt her again and I will hurt you.’
> 
> This chapter takes place on 24 August, 1830. Niko and Reo are 1 year and 9 months old. Kana and Kitiara are 1 year and almost 3 months old.
> 
> Niko should not have the fine motor control to catch any fish, much less the medaka.


	129. Tanabata, Autumn - Hikaku (26)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you have to step back.
> 
> (Even when you don’t want to.)

Hikaku is updating personnel files in his office.

He’s also worrying.

It’s been a week since Tōka-san demanded a fight and she hasn’t spoken to him since.

They’ve spoken every day since they both became Jōnin Commanders when the village was formed and this has never happened before. Even when they were suspicious of each other, they still talked.

Even when she gave up her role to him they talked.

Not talking feels wrong.

He misses it.

He misses her.

Goshujin-sama told them what had happened and it’s been a struggle not to go to her.

But the way she’s been avoiding him is a clear signal that she needs her space.

So he’s trying to give it to her.

But it’s hard.

He sets aside his work and walks out to the engawa. It is time for the midday meal and goshujin-sama will be here soon with the bento and Reo-chan.

At least Tōka-san will still eat shujin’s food. He consoles himself with the idea that the baby is not suffering because of his foolish inability to fight her.

He knows that it’s absurd.

She’s more than capable. She defeats him more than half the time when they spar. She is better than he on the battlefield, and the war more than proved that.

But he cannot bear the thought of hitting the person carrying their child.

Something in him cries out that she is vulnerable and to be protected, even as he knows she would beat him black and blue for the thought.

He feels her come up beside him and stays carefully still, making sure not to look at her.

She rests her head on his shoulder and he sighs with relief.

It appears that he’s forgiven.

“I’m sorry.”

They say it at the same time and he looks at her in surprise.

She only gives him a sardonic look.

“It was me barging into your office you know. Yelling at you for the whole compound to hear, a total breach of discipline…”

He shrugs. That doesn’t bother him. They’re not samurai, holding tightly to rigid rules of conduct. They’re shinobi. Practical. Sometimes, people lose their temper. As long as the shinobi under his command follow his instructions in the field and complete their mission objectives, he can tolerate the occasional shouting match.

She can obviously tell what he’s thinking. It’s a topic they’ve spoken of before, and she takes the view that disrespect towards a superior is not to be tolerated, as it signals a breakdown in discipline. People will either do as she says or remove themselves from her command.

In the two years that he has commanded the combined Uchiha and Senju forces, they’ve all adapted to his style of leadership. He’s never had a serious breech of discipline, although there have been many small ones. It’s never bothered him, and she’s always marvelled at that.

Perhaps it comes down to patience. He has it. She doesn’t.

The thought makes him smile.

She smiles back.

Daringly, he wraps his arm around her waist and she relaxes into him.

She puts her head back on his shoulder and he turns his face into her hair.

“I’m sorry that I can’t do what you want,” he tells her. “If I could, I would.”

She huffs a laugh. “You’re so shinobi that sometimes, just sometimes, I forget that you’re civilian born. And then you get like this. It’s fine. That’s why there are three of you right? What one can’t do, another can. I needed to release my anger and you couldn’t give me the fight that I needed. Izuna could. Just like neither of you feed me like Seto does. And neither of them massage my feet like you do. You’re all different people.”

It’s true. It’s one of the reasons why they work best as a unit.

Still.

“Can I massage your feet tonight? You can come over for dinner?”

She rubs her face into the fabric of his mantle to hide her smile. It’s the real one, the one she wears only when she’s truly happy. “As long as you promise not to put Reo-chan in my lap.”

He kisses her on the top of her head. “Done.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, the Senju Clan Head’s tendency towards authoritarianism exists in their military arm as well. If you want to know why that’s the case, you can check out chapter 43 of _The World Building of Courting Culture Confusion_ , _World Building - Why the Senju Clan Head can be More Authoritarian than the Uchiha Clan Head_.


	130. Tanabata, Autumn - Seto (31)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, your house is full.
> 
> (It fills your heart.)

Seto is happy.

Everyone is eating his food tonight, even Tōka-san.

When she followed koibito home this afternoon, it was a surprise but also a relief.

And not just on a personal level.

Having one of their most senior Jōnin publicly at odds with their Jōnin commander had done them no favours, and it was good to see them reconciled to one another.

He’s curious about it, but koibito will no doubt tell them later when they retreat to the engawa.

Still, it appears that koibito’s persistent patience has won over yet another of his shinobi.

He smiles at the thought.

It’s always amazed him that koibito can tolerate even the most insubordinate acts and yet still establish control without even a raised voice. He’s seen it happen multiple times, and yet can never quite understand it. Perhaps it’s the way koibito cares that makes the difference. Poorly hidden as it is, even the most junior genin can see how he wishes them well.

His line of thought is interrupted by Izuna-sama.

“So, did anyone else see what happened with Niko-chan at Kingyo-sukui last night?

Tōka-san nods. “I did.”

Senju-sama swallows a the last of his miso soup before agreeing. “I felt it also.”

“What happened?” Koibito’s youngest sister hates being left out of anything and has never been the most patient of people, a notable contrast to her brother.

“Izuna-sama believes that Niko-chan used suiton to catch three fish,” he explains. “It would explain her remarkable success with the medaka.”

Tōka-san and Senju-sama exchange weighted looks before Senju-sama inclines his head to her, indicating that she should speak.

“Tobirama showed his suiton at about the same age. He was not quite two years old, and he hit me with a wave of water in the bath. I don’t remember it personally, but my father told me about it when we were growing up.”

They all contemplate this as they eat.

“Is there something that we should do?” Kikiyo’s face looks as calm as ever, but tension can be seen in the line of her spine.

Senju-sama shakes his head. “No. She is unlikely to be strong enough to cause harm for a while yet, unless driven to extremity. For the moment, she is likely to use it unconsciously to fulfil her needs or desires.”

Izuna-sama laughs. “So it’s mostly going to be used to make trouble.”

Senju-sama smirks. “Exactly.”

Everyone laughs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Niko grows up to be a suiton user.
> 
> Her story will not be told here, except in passing. She gets her own story - _Wading in Water_ \- as do many of her other siblings.


	131. Obon, Autumn - Seto (31)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you need to hide things from your children.
> 
> (It’s best done quickly.)

Seto is amused.

Every year, the vegetables for their shouryouma look more and more like animals.

Hashirama-sama has stoped pretending not to be responsible for it anymore and this year simply dropped off a basket of cucumbers and eggplants in the days leading up to Obon.

So their eggplants look like cows, complete with horns, heads, and bodies, while the cucumbers bend to look like rearing horses and have unnaturally long stems for tails.

Okaasan covers her mouth to hide her laughter as each vegetable is revealed. “We’re going to have to chop up the ones we don’t use for the shouryouma. The children won’t eat them otherwise.”

He nods ruefully. If he serves any of these eggplant cows for dinner in a recognisable shape, the children are likely to look at him with wounded eyes and cry.

So much for his plans to make grilled eggplant with miso tonight.

He lays aside the four most lifelike ones and then quickly dices the rest. The eggplants will be added to the soup, and the cucumbers will be made into a salad.

The children will never know that he killed their vegetable animals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seto was originally going to make nasu dengaku, eggplants grilled over a fire and glazed with miso. You can find a modern version of the recipe [here](https://www.justonecookbook.com/miso-glazed-eggplant/).
> 
> Instead he’s going to make eggplant and miso soup - reportedly one of Kakashi’s favourite meals - and sunomono. You can find recipes for them [here](https://matchaandtofu.com/aubergine-eggplant-miso-soup/) and [here](https://www.justonecookbook.com/sunomono-with-cucumber-and-wakame/).


	132. Obon, Autumn - Madara (27)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you introduce new things to your children.
> 
> (The tradition continues.)

Madara is carrying the offerings to the altar.

The house is clean, something that is far more difficult now that there are children than when he and yome lived alone, and Izuna has taken the children outside to place the shouryouma and light the lantern that will guide the ancestors back to the world of the living.

This year, Seto and his mother have cooked enough food to feed an army, not just they and the ancestors, and he’s had to use two trays just to bring everything to the altar. He kneels and lays out unagi, somen, dumplings, pickles, and soup, followed by melon for their mother, and dango for the twins. Then the cups that Hikaku will fill with that terrible alcohol that Seto’s father insists is sake. If it has the same effect on the ancestors that it has on him, there will be some very confused dreams this Obon.

The thought amuses him, and yome’s fingers reach out to trace his smile. He kisses those fingers before very gently taking the tip of one between his teeth. Yome shivers. 

“Save that thought,” yome advises him, pushing the tray with the flowers and incense towards him instead. “We will revisit it later. The children are coming back.” Yome rises to take the empty tray back to the kitchen, his steps light and soundless.

He turns to welcome his family. All four children pile on him as Izuna watches, grinning. He knows exactly who encourages this kind of behaviour and it’s not him. He pulls the twins into his lap even as Niko-chan and Reo-chan hang around his neck, and takes their hands, using their fingers to point out the flowers for each member of their family.

“The white chrysanthemums are for obaasan, and Kuro-hime obasan, and the red camellias are for ojiisan, Taetaka oji, and Togakushi oji. Would you like to help me place them?”

The children all chorus a yes, and scramble up. Niko-chan takes the chrysanthemum for their mother, and Kana-chan the one for Kuro-hime. Reo-chan takes the red camellia for their father, and Kitiara-chan takes the one for Togakushi. He takes the red camellia for nii-san.

They all place the flowers carefully on the altar, arranging them gently so as not to bruise the petals. Hikaku pours the sake, and Izuna lights the incense.

He’s glad to welcome his siblings back again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I deliberately gave Madara’s twin daughters the flowers for his twin siblings.


	133. Obon, Autumn - Hikaku (26)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you make new friends who get you into trouble.
> 
> (And out again.)

Hikaku is watching the children.

Niko-chan and Reo-chan have made friends with one of the Yamanaka children. As they dart about, making a game of getting in between the adults, the combination of red hair, black hair, and blonde hair makes them a recognisable group.

This is the first Bon Odori that has been thrown open to the whole village.

Everyone is here.

There aren’t many families in the village who aren’t either Uchiha or Senju, but they’re all here.

Senju-sama’s students are roaming as a group, trailed by his nephew and niece as well as several other children, including an Akimichi and a Nara.

Tōka-san had several new targets this year, and finally revealed that he snores when he’s drunk. It was a secret that he couldn’t have kept forever, and the wound to his dignity was well worth the amazed looks that he received from his subordinates. Having his head tugged into goshujin-sama’s lap to mimic being asleep was an added reward, and he took the opportunity to turn his face into goshujin-sama’s abdomen and kiss it while he was pretending.

Goshujin-sama’s expression promised revenge for that bit of teasing and he looks forward to it.

In the meantime, Senju-sama has the twins well in hand and he will take charge of the older children.

Oh, they are trying to climb a tree. Without help they should not be able to do it, so they will be fine.

Wait, he’s wrong. Reo-chan has managed to reach a low branch and is leaning down to help Niko-chan up. His balance is uncertain and he’s starting to fall.

Hikaku leaps forward, arms out and ready, but knows that he’s too far away. He is resigned to a trip to Hashirama-sama after this, when Reo-chan suddenly freezes. He’s impossibly stuck to the tree. At the angle he’s at, he should be falling, but he doesn’t until Hikaku manages to get underneath him to catch him.

Hikaku turns around, searching for the source of this, and spots the father of the Nara child getting up from the ground.

Ah. He must have used their Shadow Imitation Technique to hold Reo-chan in place.

The Yamanaka child leads them over and he makes sure that Niko-chan is following them.

He bows deeply. “Thank you for helping my son.”

Nara-san bows back. “No thanks are needed. He is a child of the village and it was my honour to assist.”

They straighten up and look at each other.

“Since our children are seemingly intent on climbing, perhaps we should bring them up,” he offers.

Nara-san agrees. “It would help to have more than one pair of hands.”

He smiles and Nara-san smiles back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the families for the Ino–Shika–Chō formation are now present in the village.
> 
> The Nara child that was part of a pack with Hikaku’s nephew and niece is the 13th generation of the Ino–Shika–Chō formation. Nara Shikaku will be his grandson. The Nara Hikaku was talking to is Nara Shikaku’s great grandfather.
> 
> Also, Reo got up into a tree that he shouldn’t have been able to climb because he was, very clumsily, using his Tobi oji’s favourite trick - using chakra to stick to things. He’s felt it from the other side often enough that he’s started doing it back. This is his very first public chakra use and it was so subtle that no one noticed it.
> 
> It’s not his first time using chakra though - he’s been sticking himself to Tobirama for a while.


	134. Obon, Autumn - Izuna (25)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you think about the past.
> 
> (And the future.)

Izuna is carrying the boat.

More people have wooden boats this year, he’s noticed, and the boats are laden down with more elaborate offerings. It’s yet another sign of their growing prosperity.

The clan is larger than ever and the horde of children running about is huge. It occurs to him that they’ve always had so many children because it was expected that many would die in the war. With peace, if they keep having the same number of children, their clan will only grow in the years to come. He makes a mental note to speak to Tobi and Nii-san about increasing the size of the compound. If the Senju are having the same trend, perhaps even increasing the size of the village.

It will mean establishing more farms to grow food, perhaps creating a lake to farm fish. They will not be able to rely solely on hunted game anymore, they will need to breed animals. Being able to feed themselves without relying on trade is a high priority for the village and not one they can afford to compromise on.

Looking at Reo-chan in Hikaku’s arms, Niko-chan in Nii-san’s, and the twins patting at each other over Tobi’s shoulders, he realises that they’ll need to expand the Academy too.

Still, it’s the kind of problem he’d rather have than the ones he faced in the war. The problems of life, rather than death.

He smiles.

Seto bends down to set their eggplant cow and cucumber horse on the river bank and both Reo-chan and Niko-chan squirm to be let down. They pet the animals gently and say goodbye, wishing them a good journey back to the Pure Lands and reminders to carry the ancestors safely. Other children surround them, placing their animals too until a whole herd of shouryouma line the river. He notices that they’re all following the direction of the current too, noses pointing downstream. He wonders who started that trend.

Once everyone is happy with the position of their animals, he steps into the water, leading all those who will light their boats. Kikiyo wades into the water next to him, as does Hikaku’s youngest sister. Looking at the mature twenty year old next to him, he can hardly believe that she’s the same girl who once got yakitori sauce all over his yukata. At least until she spots him watching her and sticks her tongue out at him. Then it’s completely believable.

He makes sure that everyone is ready before releasing his boat to the water. Tobi will make sure that none of the boats tip, but it’s habit to make sure that everything is balanced. The boats all float away and a flame lights on each of them as they go, the current carrying them swiftly out of sight around the bend.

He turns and splashes out of the river, embracing Tobi with thanks as the water is pulled out of his clothing, and accepting the touch of small hands on his face. He allows his Sharingan to spin to life, memorising the sight of his friend, carrying his brother’s children.

He always knew Tobi would be a great father, and he’s so glad that it’s to his nieces.

He looks over his clan, climbing out of the water behind him, his family in front of him, and he’s grateful.

They’ve survived and thrived.

May they continue to do so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tobirama is tandem baby wearing Kana and Kitiara, one on his front and one on his back. They’re positioned just high enough that they can touch each other over his shoulders and are having a marvellous time patting each other and everyone close to them.


	135. Almost Time to Run, Autumn - Seto (31)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you get a surprise.
> 
> (And learn something you never knew about yourself.)

Seto looks up at the moon.

The moon is waxing, and tomorrow night it will be full.

He will Run, as will many others in the clan, but it will be purely duty. A teaching moment, as Senju-sama would say.

There is nothing personal about it and he feels calm as the thinks of it.

Izuna-sama’s head is in his lap and he combs his fingers through hair that springs back up every time he smooths it down. Reo-chan’s hair is like his own, fine and straight. Koibito’s hair and Tōka-san’s hair are both silky and flat. The combination of Izuna-sama’s hair, soft but defiant, and Tōka-san’s hair should be amusing.

Izuna-sama pokes him in the thigh. “So, anything to ask me?”

He and koibito exchange a glance before koibito speaks for them both. “No.”

Izuna-sama laughs a little. “No? Just no?”

Koibito smirks. “Yes.”

Izuna-sama flails, but it’s only for effect. “Seriously, I know you have more words than this!”

Koibito remains determinedly silent in return.

These two never fail to amuse him. Still, it’s probably time for him to step in. “There is nothing that we want, Izuna-sama. You are not Running, and we are happy with our lives and our families. We are happy with _you_.”

He’s chased Izuna-sama through the woods several times this year and each time seems to have settled something in him. No longer does he fear losing his husband, no longer does he fear not being enough. Izuna-sama has seen him without control, and reacted only with love and acceptance. There is nothing more that he needs.

Izuna-sama smiles at them but it looks a little uncertain. “Well, there’s something I want.”

He looks at Izuna-sama enquiringly.

Izuna-sama takes a deep breath, releasing it slowly. It’s something he’s nervous about then.

“I want to do what Tobi’s doing.”

That is a surprise.

“You wish to breastfeed.” He keeps his voice without judgement, expressing only mild curiosity, but Izuna-sama still makes a face.

“You’ve been spending too much time with Tobi.”

His expression must communicate his confusion, for koibito laughs at him.

“You just said a question like it was a statement.” Izuna-sama points out. “But yeah, I want to breastfeed. Kikiyo’s great, but I want our kids to sleep in the same bed as us, to feed from my body, to be ours in every way.”

Ah. Possessiveness. An emotion that all Uchiha are familiar with.

The idea is appealing. So appealing, in fact, that goshujin-sama can feel it.

It’s now goshijin-sama’s turn to laugh at him. “I take it you approve.”

He can only nod.

Goshujin-sama tilts his head to make eye contact with yome. The fact that it rubs his face against the arousal that he cannot help but press into goshujin-sama is unlikely to be coincidental. “And you?”

Yome looks amused. “While I do not have quite the same reaction to the idea as shujin, I also approve. To sleep all together as a family will make us easier to guard, we will all rest better in close proximity to one another, and Kikiyo oneesan will be able to concentrate on her own children. We will all have to take a turn at guarding them so it may be wise to time that pregnancy for when Tōka-san is not pregnant. Guarding two sets of infants at the same time will be difficult.”

Of course yome would examine the logistics of the proposal. Thinking about it helps him calm also.

“Then we are agreed. Once Tōka-san has the new baby, you will seek Senju-sama’s assistance.”

Izuna-sama’s smile is wicked. “Probably a little before actually. I will need to be stimulated in order to produce milk. I don’t supposed either of you might be willing to help me with that?”

By the way they are both laughing at him, his expression must communicate his thoughts on the matter very clearly.

Oh well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seto has kinks he never knew he had.
> 
> Izuna is very good at finding them.
> 
> Oops.


	136. Omake - Talking not Running

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you get competitive.
> 
> (It gets you into trouble.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains a discussion about sex.
> 
> Please, read with care for yourself and skip if that is not for you.

Izuna: … so I missed it when the kids were born, you know? It wasn’t until Tobi got back that we all got a break and could have sex again.

Tobirama: I do not think Madara felt comfortable being vulnerable while we were in Uzushio. It was not an environment that he could control.

Tōka: You guys are paranoid. I have sex and don’t need to be protected during it.

Tobirama: Your house is completely sealed off by both Mito and I.

Tōka: I had sex at Issei’s house! Sometimes.

Tobirama: Once.

Tōka: I regret telling you that.

Tobirama: And I regret hearing your account of it.

Izuna: So what do you do? Tobi and nii-san don’t fell vulnerable when they’re together behind seals, we’re a triad so there’s always someone on guard, but you actually sleep with totally unknown people.

Tōka: I just... do. They’re in my house, they’re not a threat to me, I don’t sleep with them, I just fuck them.

Tobirama: This is why most of her lovers are civilians.

Izuna: Isn’t that kind of… odd? I mean, they obviously don’t understand you if what happened with Issei was the usual pattern.

Tōka: *frustratedly* I don’t know. It happens, but I keep hoping that it will work out somehow. But I don’t always need a relationship you know. Sometimes, I just want sex.

Izuna: Look, I get that, sex is great! Everyone should be having it! But a relationship where you can trust people is better.

Tobirama: I do not understand the difference.

Izuna: You never wanted sex until nii-san.

Tobirama: Yes. I do not see how that is relevant.

Izuna: Some people separate the two - sex without an emotional connection and sex with an emotional connection - and have both types. You never wanted the former but you want the latter. It’s hard to tell the difference between them until you’ve done them both.

Tobirama: But you have never done the former either.

Izuna: Which is why I want to know how Baby Maker does it!

Tōka: I… don’t know? I don’t have sex with people I don’t _like_. But sometimes, we’re just friends. I want sex right now, for example, but everyone that I’d usually ask is in an exclusive relationship.

Izuna: *facetiously* You could have sex with us, I suppose.

Tobirama: *makes a face imagining it*

Tōka: I could… but you’re… *waves a hand at him*

Izuna: What! Don’t tell me you don’t think I’m attractive!

Tōka: *waves a hand at him dismissively* You’re pretty and you know it. That’s not it.

Izuna: *curiously* Then what is it?

Tōka: You’re my friend, but you’re not my sex friend.

Izuna: And I’ll bet that most of them were your friends first too.

Tobirama: *shakes head* No.

Tōka: He’s right. They were sex partners first, and then became friends later. The only one who was the other way around was the guy who I was a surrogate for. And then the sex was so awkward that we ended up going to Hashirama.

Izuna: *disbelievingly* The sex was so bad that you both preferred being referred to as _plants_?

Tōka: *laughing* Which should tell you exactly how bad it was!

Izuna: Okay, no, we can do better than that. Let me talk to Seto and Hikaku and see if they’re willing.

Tobirama: *face palm* Izuna…

Tōka: *dubiously* I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for them to say yes if I were you. Not everyone is as crazy as you are.

Izuna: I won’t say yes on their behalf, but I think it’s an actual possibility. Trust me to know my husbands.

Tōka: *sardonically* This is going to be a _disaster_. Can I watch?

Izuna: *grinning* If they say yes, you can do more than watch. You can _participate_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place on the night of the Run, October 2, 1830. Kikiyo took the kids for the night since none of them are breastfeeding anymore.
> 
> If you have issues with Izuna’s actions here, hold off on yelling at me about them until you read the next chapter. It’s long form prose and you’ll get more of an insight into Izuna’s head.
> 
> Just know that this is exactly how Izuna always gets himself into trouble. Both he and Tobirama are natural problem solvers and will act to fix things, but where Tobirama steps back to see the whole picture and make sure that he’s got contingency plans for everything, Izuna pokes holes in the situation until he can find a thread to pull that will make everything fall into place.
> 
> Tōka is not taking Izuna seriously. She’s treating this like a joke. Tobirama knows better. He knows that this is Izuna having a Bad Idea and diving in while not realising how deep the water is.
> 
> If you want to know more about their characterisation when problem solving, you can check out chapters 54 and 55 of _The World Building of Courting Culture Confusion_.
> 
> So the ‘Uchiha Izuna is too competitive for anybody’s peace of mind’ tag is on this story for a reason. But then, so are the ‘It gets him into trouble’ and the ‘But also out again’ tags.
> 
> Finally, the baby is 20 weeks old, has ears, and is listening to this entire conversation.
> 
> I mention it simply because the mental image amuses me.


	137. After the Run, Autumn - Izuna (26)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you rethink your choices.
> 
> (But they’re already made.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning:
> 
> This chapter contains an explicit sex scene.
> 
> Please, read with care for yourself and skip if that is not for you.

Izuna is staring up at the moon.

How does he get himself into these situations? It seemed like such an obvious solution when he said it, but now… Well, now it looks as crazy as Baby Maker said it was.

Hikaku pokes him in the forehead.

He turns his head away, facing outwards into the garden. He doesn’t want to look at them when he says this.

“So, I have a question.”

The hand combing through his hair never pauses.

“I think we might want to have sex with Tōka.”

The hand freezes. Yeah, he thought that might happen.

“Would you like to share your thinking?” Seto’s voice is very even. Too even. He’s controlling his reaction.

“She wants sex, and she doesn’t have a friend that she can ask right now. She invites strangers back to her house and has sex with them and then they leave.”

Hikaku’s hand in his hair clenches into a fist. Yeah, that was his reaction too. The thought of Tōka, alone with god knows who, pregnant and in bed with a totally unknown person makes him want to kill something.

“She sleeps in a house warded by Tobi and Mito-hime, but she’s alone. No one sleeps with her. Not even Issei when they were together.” He takes a deep breath and releases it in a slow exhale. “I don’t want her to be undefended. I don’t want her to go to strangers for sex. I don’t want her to sleep alone. I just don’t know if we can give her what she needs.”

“But does she even want that? She may not.” Seto points out. “And, if she does, she may not want it from us.”

He shrugs with the shoulder that isn’t wedged against Hikaku’s thigh. “I don’t have the answers to any of those questions. I know she wants a relationship, she wants sex, and she’s happy to have sex with her friends, but nothing else. We’d have to talk to her to know anything else. But there’s no point talking it over with her if we don’t want to do it.”

They all fall silent, and he can hear the cicadas calling. Hikaku’s hand slowly starts moving again. “Do you love her?”

His head whips around and he sits up. “What! No! I mean yes, but not like that!”

Hikaku looks away, avoiding his gaze. He reaches out, cupping Hikaku’s face between his palms, ducking down to try and make eye contact. “I love you. I love you both. I’m not leaving you for Tōka. I’m never leaving you for anyone.”

Hikaku’s face is filled with relief, sharingan flaring wildly.

Shit. He messed that up. He never thought that Hikaku might fear that Tōka might replace them somehow. 

He stares at Hikaku, leaving his expression open, uncontrolled. “I _love_ you. I love you _both_. No one else could be to me, who you are. You’re my husbands and I’m never letting you go. Not ever. _Yome_.”

His desperation to fix this must come through, for Hikaku’s eyes close and he allows their foreheads to rest against each other.

He reaches out, waving his hand until Seto grabs it, holding it tightly. There’s fear in that grip as well.

More shit. He worried Seto too.

He pushes yome back into shujin, shoving until they both fall backward, and then he climbs on top of them, making himself into dead weight, pinning them to the engawa. “You’re mine,” he tells them, very seriously. “The whole world will burn before I give either of you up.”

He refuses to let either one of them up and waits until they relax under him. It takes a while, but it happens.

“I love you also, but you’re pressing yome’s elbow into my abdomen.” Seto says eventually. His tone is wry but Izuna won’t be forgetting that fear anytime soon. He needs to treat his husbands more carefully, he needs to show them what they mean to him more.

He rolls off them, and Hikaku follows him over. It’s his turn to be pinned now as yome kisses him with desire and the lingering echo of terror. He kisses back, pushing all of his ferocity into it. “Mine,” he snarls, “my yome.”

Yome moans. “Yes. Please.”

He grabs yome, pulling even as he wraps his legs around yome’s waist, shoving to try and get them in the correct position, rolling his hips even through they’re not aligned properly, growling with frustration when it doesn’t work. He rolls them again, settling himself astride yome’s hips, hands tearing at yome’s yukata, biting marks into yome’s neck. He’ll show them what they mean to him, he’ll show them how he wants them, he’ll… oh!

His back arches even as he feels shujin’s fingers trace his entrance once more, shujin’s other hand pulling his yukata half off his shoulders. Yome leans up and bites him on the nipple. He keens.

Shujin presses them both flat with a hand between his shoulder blades and slick fingers push inside, spreading him wide and open. He jerks with the sudden intrusion and yome’s hands on his hips turn the movement into a smooth roll.

Oh, oh, he can’t… he can’t… he bites at yome’s collarbones, licking and whining as he feels shujin position yome at his entrance. “In me, please, in me, I want you,” he’s begging for it and he doesn’t care. “Don’t tease me, don’t let me… ah!”

A hard thrust and he’s breeched. Shujin’s hand keeps him pinned to yome as he’s taken. He may be the one riding yome, but he’s not in control here.

Shujin’s mouth on his nape makes him whimper. “Ours.” Shujin’s voice in his ear makes him shudder.

“Goshujin-sama,” Yome’s voice is hoarse and raw. “Always ours.”

He feels yome jerk and spill in him, and shivers at the sensation of wetness trickling down his thigh. A tongue licks the seed away, following the trail up to where yome is still in him. The sensation makes him wail, and shujin doesn’t stop until he’s buried his face in yome’s shoulder, almost crying with it.

Then his hips are pulled up and away from yome, and shujin is in him. He shouts.

Now he’s really being ridden, yome pulling his face down, kissing and biting at his mouth, eating his cries.

He stills as he peaks, spilling over yome, but shujin rides him through it, never stopping, constantly pushing the pleasure over him until tears well in his eyes.

“Shujin, please!”

He feels shujin’s seed join yome’s, filling him utterly.

He’s trembling, and shujin gently eases him down to rest on yome before pulling out of him.

He pants into yome’s neck, shaking, trying to control his breathing. That was… more than he’d thought it would be.

He feels shujin spread him open, inspecting him for damage. They were rough with him.

A finger presses into him. Then a tongue starts licking him. He whines again. Are they not done with him yet?

Oh, he must have said that aloud, for yome’s arms around him tighten and shujin’s finger gains a companion, stroking and pressing against the place that drives him crazy. 

“We will never be done with you, goshujin-sama.” Yome’s voice is deep and low.

“You will always be ours.” Shujin’s voice rumbles through him like an earthquake.

His laugh is breathless but real. They both stiffen in surprise. “You say that like I should be worried,” he points out. “I want to be yours. Being between you like this is one of my favourite places to be.”

“Then be with us forever,” yome tilts his head up with one hand, even as the other one holds him firmly. 

“I will. Forever. Always my husbands, my… oh…” he moans.

Shujin is licking him again. Licking inside him. There are no more words.

He rests against yome and tries to regain his breath.

He’ll need it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Izuna was afraid that they’d be angry with him for talking to Tōka before he spoke to them about it. Technically, as head of their family, he’d be within his rights to do that. He could take another wife without consulting them if he wanted, in fact, but it would have been a betrayal of their trust.
> 
> Instead, they freaked out that he was going to leave them for Tōka.
> 
> It never occured to Izuna that might happen. To him, ever since he came back to them after their argument about Madara (back in chapter 51), he’s been committed. The thought that they might genuinely still worry about not being enough to keep him is totally alien to him. Once Izuna is in, he’s _all in_.
> 
> If you want to know more about the different ways the triad thinks about their relationship, you can check out chapter 98 of _The World Building of Courting Culture Confusion_ , _Characterisation - Izuna, Hikaku, Seto and Love_.
> 
> And a final note on world building - _Tanna japonensis_ , also called the evening cicada or higurashi in Japanese, is a sound usually associated with summer. However, from September until mid-October, their calls can be heard almost every day. This chapter takes place on the night after the Run, October 3. As such, the cicadas can be heard, even though it’s autumn.


	138. After the Run, Autumn - Seto (32)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, things don’t progress as your expect.
> 
> (It’s a good thing.)

Seto is nervous.

He knows that he shouldn’t be, Izuna-sama has chosen them and Tōka-san is their friend to whom they owe their child, but he can’t help it.

The thought of Izuna-sama having sex with someone who is not them is… difficult.

All three of them discussed it and, should Tōka-san want it from them, he is the logical choice to volunteer. He’s been trained for sex, and he has never let it get in the way of his relationship with koibito before. He will not let it happen now that he has so much more to lose.

He’s determined to treat Tōka-san with perfect neutrality, but all of his plans come to naught as soon as she sees Izuna-sama.

She doubles over laughing, cradling their child. “Good gods! I _told_ you this was going to be a disaster!”

Koibito is already striding towards her, hands out to help even as she slaps them away. “Shut up, don’t talk to me, you marked him up like he’s your property, how possessive are you two!”

Her laughter is infectious, and he can feel himself smiling ruefully. It’s true, after all.

She leans on koibito as she regains control of her breathing. She seems to be getting more breathless with this pregnancy than the last one. He worries about it.

“Ow!” Now they’re all surrounding her, reaching out, but she turns into koibito instead. “He just kicked me, it’s fine.”

“He?” He can’t help but ask. She’s never mentioned that she’s known the sex of the child before.

“Yeah, Hashirama told me this morning. A boy, and exuberant too. He’s been doing katas in my stomach all night, I haven’t been able to get any sleep at all.”

She does look tired.

They all share a look and, by mutual agreement, Izuna-sama and he step back to allow Koibito to usher her into the house.

She’s compliant until she notices where they’re going.

“No! I don’t need a nap! I’m not Reo-chan!”

Izuna-sama is smirking. “You just sound like him.”

“No, I don’t!”

“Do.”

“Don’t!”

“Do.”

The argument keeps her distracted until they get her inside and koibito gently folds her onto the futon.

“I don’t need sleep,” she whines, rolling on to her side, blinking up at them. “We were supposed to talk.”

They sit down around her. Koibito starts massaging her feet. He strokes her hair.

“Shh. We will talk. Later.” Izuna-sama kisses her on the forehead.

She yawns. They can see her willpower weakening.

“You guys don’t play fair,” she complains, just before she falls asleep.

They all smile at each other.

No, they don’t.


	139. After the Run, Autumn - Hikaku (27)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You want what’s best.
> 
> (For all of you.)

Hikaku is amused.

He’d thought this would be awkward, a difficult conversation, perhaps even an argument. He’d been prepared to defend himself and argue for what he wanted.

Instead the whole issue has, somehow, been put aside.

They sit around the irori, just the four of them, eating dinner and laughing. Stories are told, and everyone is comfortable. Between them, Tōka-san and goshujin-sama recounted the conversation that started all of this, and everyone had laughed about it. Tōka-san has said, several times, that she doesn’t want anything they don’t want. And they’ve left it at that.

Still, he can’t help but remember what goshujin-sama said last night.

He doesn’t want that for Tōka-san.

He doesn’t want her to sleep alone, use strangers for sex, and be undefended.

They’re her friends. She has sex with some of her friends. She finds them attractive. She’s attractive. Why should they not do this, if everyone wants it?

“I agree.”

His words fall into a completely unrelated conversation, but everyone seems to know what he’s talking about anyway.

Tōka-san raises a sardonic eyebrow at him. “Now, of the three of you, that is not something that I expected from you.”

He shrugs helplessly.

Goshujin-sama intervenes. “None of us like your situation, Baby Maker. If we can act to make things better for you, why wouldn’t we?”

Tōka-san looks offended now. “It’s not your place to judge my life, Izuna!”

Shujin’s tones are calm and soothing. “None of us would do that, Tōka-san. There is no judgement. You are unsatisfied with the situation, and we offer help. That is all.”

Tōka-san’s sigh is resigned. “But this is not the usual kind of help. You don’t know me well enough for this.”

“Neither did any of the people who now know you well enough for this when you first had sex with them,” goshujin-sama points out. “They were strangers. They didn’t know you at all.”

That’s undeniable.

Tōka-san looks uncomfortable. That’s the last thing they want.

He reaches out and touches the back of her wrist with two fingers. “We only make the offer. It is your choice to accept or not. We follow your will in this.”

She turns her hand over and grabs his wrist, he clasps her wrist as well in return. They hold each other, gripping firmly but not tightly. “You know me so well.”

He smiles at her. “I should. We’ve talked every day for years.”

She laughs at him. “And fought regularly before that.”

It’s true. And you get to know your opponents in a way that you never really know your friends. He’s glad to have had the opportunity to see Tōka-san in both contexts.

This is just another one.

She releases him and turn to shujin.

“Alright. I accept your offer.” She smirks. “We’ll see if you can do better than Issei.”

Izuna-sama squawks with offence. Shujin looks amused.

That’s a challenge that none of them will turn down.


	140. After the Run, Autumn - Tōka (27)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you discover things you didn’t know about yourself.
> 
> (It’s annoying.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains a discussion about sex.
> 
> Please, read with care for yourself and skip if that is not for you.

Tōka stares up at the darkened ceiling and feels contemplative.

Well. That was interesting.

She’s never had sex like that before.

She actually had an orgasm. In fact, she had several.

Seto is skilled, there’s no question about that. He read her like a book, and played her like an instrument.

That’s the problem.

She felt like a _mark_. A target.

If she’d never seen him with his husbands, she’d have thought it was the best sex she’d ever had and be halfway to falling in love with him. Instead, it was soulless and almost as frustrating as her usual sexual encounters.

It turns out that she wants an emotional connection after all, even if it’s only friendship.

Gods, she’s a mushroom.

“A mushroom?” Next to her, Seto sounds completely bewildered.

She rolls over to face him. “You cook, you know what a mushroom is.”

He sits up, careless of the yogi falling away from his upper body. And why not? He’s gorgeous. “I do, but why are you one?”

She rolls onto her back again. She doesn’t want to look him in the eye when she admits this. “The sex was good. You’re lovely.”

He laughs softly. “But it was without passion.”

She makes a disgusted face. “Yeah. And it turns out I want that after all.”

He touches her shoulder gently. She likes that, even after they’ve had their hands all over each other, he still doesn’t take liberties with her. She’s had sex partners who didn’t do that, lots of them.

Needless to say, she’s never had sex with _them_ again.

“Tōka-san. It’s perfectly fine to want a relationship with your sexual partners, be it friendship or romance.”

His voice is understanding, even when she makes a noise of frustration at the word ‘romance’. Ugh. She’s never going to have that.

“But I shouldn’t need it. You’ve already offered so much, and I still want more? I’m a mushroom.”

Seto is chuckling now. “How does wanting more make you a mushroom?”

She doesn’t see what’s funny about it. “You know, a parasitic plant.”

That sobers him quickly. “Tōka-san! You’re not a parasite! You’re a lovely woman who has unmet needs. You never thought that Senju-sama’s requirements for a romantic partnership made him overly demanding, did you?”

She snaps upright. “Of course not! Tobirama has every right to look only for the best! Anyone who would say otherwise is a -”

He interrupts. “Exactly. So please don’t apply a different standard to yourself. Just as he deserves Madara-sama, the best person for him, you deserve the best person for _you_.”

Well, that’s taken all the wind out of her sails.

She lets herself collapse back onto the futon. “So you don’t think I’m wrong.”

He strokes her hair. “Not at all. In fact, I think we might want to try this again.”

She gives him a mocking look. “Somehow, I don’t think we’re going to fit any better the next time.”

His smile is secretive. “Not with me. With Izuna-sama.”

Now that’s unexpected. With how possessive they are of him, she never thought she’d be welcome in that part of their relationship.

“Really?”

He nods. “Really. Let us talk about it first, but I think you two may be a better fit.”

This sounds familiar. She starts to laugh.

“This is going to be a _disaster_. Can I watch?”

He obviously recognises the conversation she’s referring to. His smile is all teeth.

“If they say yes, you can do more than watch. You can participate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something you may notice is that Tōka uses a sailing analogy as well a plant analogy.
> 
> The source of the plant analogy is obvious - she’s a Senju, they use those all the time. (Seto was laughing because he couldn’t imagine Tōka as a mushroom.)
> 
> The sailing analogy gives away something else - Tōka has Uzumaki heritage. Her mom, the wife of Butsuma’s younger brother, was an Uzumaki and how they sealed the alliance between the two clans for that generation.
> 
> Tōka chose to be a Senju when she could have left them and joined the Uzumaki - as a child of an Uzumaki woman, they’d consider her an Uzumaki by default. Instead she stayed with the Senju, and for only one reason - family. Hashirama and Tobirama are her adopted brothers, as were Itama and Kawarama. She refused to leave them to the mercy of Butsuma when she came of age.
> 
> Frankly, if any of the triad’s kids ran away from the Uchiha and showed up in Uzushio asking for sanctuary, the Uzumaki would give it, no questions asked because they were the children of Tōka’s body. It won’t happen, but they would have done it. It never occured to the triad to ask about it as a possibility, since they had no idea she was born of a Uzumaki mother. If they had, they’d have added a stipulation into their contract that the Uzumaki would never have a claim on any of their descendants. Instead they only precluded claims the children might have on the Senju Clan. Whoops.
> 
> If you want to read more about how Tōka's characterisation in this AU, you can check out chapter 99 of _The World Building of Courting Culture Confusion, Characterisation - Tōka, Sex, and Relationships_


	141. Lunar New Year, Spring - Hikaku (27)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you reflect on your life.
> 
> (And are grateful.)

Hikaku is happy.

Their house is filled with family. Everyone is here. Even Senju-sama and Madara-sama made it back in time, and it was not completely certain that they would, the storms around Uzushio were so bad this year.

He’d felt confident that they would be though, as he cannot imagine Senju-sama staying away when his adopted sister is so close to giving birth. Senju-sama would bend space and time to be here for Tōka-san, just in case she needed him. In fact, if one listens carefully to Senju-sama’s explanation of exactly how the Hiraishin works, it becomes obvious that Senju-sama already has.

He cannot imagine it.

To create something like that as a weapon of war, and then deliberately choose not to use it. And then, in an even more unlikely act, to use it to further the cause of peace.

He is grateful every day for the choices that Senju-sama has made. Every time he looks at goshujin-sama, at shujin, at their son, at Tōka-san, he’s thankful.

Goshujin-sama wraps an arm around his waist and he drops a kiss on goshujin-sama’s head as they wait to shujin to invite them to eat.

Reo-chan and Niko-chan run past them, and goshujin-sama releases him to snatch up Reo-chan, tossing him into the air. Reo-chan shrieks with joy.

Yes, he’s very grateful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place on February 13, 1831. Reo and Niko are 2 years old.


	142. Lunar New Year, Spring - Izuna (26)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you realise something new about your friends.
> 
> (It’s hilarious.)

Izuna is amused.

Baby Maker is absolutely enormous.

He’s never seen a whale, one of the giant sea animals, but Tobi’s described them to him and he thinks a comparison could be made. Of course, he’s not stupid enough to say that where Tōka can hear him, but nobody can stop him from thinking it.

The first time Tobi saw Tōka after he returned from Uzushio, he’d looked stunned. When they exchanged glances he could tell they were thinking the same thing. He’d mouthed ‘whale!’ at Tobi and Tobi had smirked at him just before Tōka had punched him in the arm. The bruise had lasted for several days, and she’d kissed it the next time they’d slept together. He’d worn it as a badge of honour and told everyone who saw it that it was a present from his Baby Maker for being too annoying.

He’d gotten a good laugh out of everyone’s expressions too.

The winter has been interesting.

After the whole thing when he’d first brought up the possibility of sleeping with Tōka, he’d thought that he’d have to do something big to reassure Hikaku and Seto, but, somehow, it hadn’t been necessary. In fact, it was Seto who’d suggested that he be the one to become Tōka’s sexual partner. And she does seem to prefer him. She’s only slept with Seto a couple of times, but, other than that, she’s chosen him every time. He has no idea how anyone could prefer him to Seto, he’s certainly not as skilled, but everyone’s tastes are different and maybe Tōka just likes him better.

He’d been a bit worried about it actually, since he’d never slept with a female before, but she’d guided him through it just fine and it was a nice experience. Fun and playful. She’d been merciless when she’d found out that he was ticklish and he’d rolled himself up in her yogi to escape her fingers before threatening to kick her in retaliation.

They laugh a lot.

Last week, he’d pinned her legs and hidden behind the huge swell of her stomach as he’d licked her to her peak, laughing in between licks while she swore at him and threatened to pull his hair out if he didn’t give her an orgasm right away.

He does love her, but he’s come to realise that he doesn’t feel romantically attracted to her, nor she to him. They’re friends who have sex. This must be what she was trying and failing to describe to him and Tobi when they talked on the night of the Run, a relationship that combines sex, love, and friendship but is without a romantic component. It’s a good relationship, and he’s glad to have her for a friend, but she could never take the place of his husbands.

And that’s the way it should be.

She doesn’t sleep over at their house, through they’ve asked, and he mostly goes over to her house in the afternoons when she invites him after their midday meal. They have sex and then he leaves her dozing. He flatters himself that, even though this pregnancy is clearly exhausting, she looks less tired overall.

It doesn’t happen every day, but it’s rare that they go more than a week without having sex at least once.

Being more closely involved in her life has let him see other ways in which they can help too. They’re working on expanding her supply of clothing to including more haori since she never wants to wear a kimono. Even the largest haori can barely cover her these days, but they’ve kept her warm all winter. They leave her food for her night meals now too, and her feet are propped up anytime she sits down.

It’s hilarious watching Hikaku scold the genin while rubbing her feet.

Hikaku seems to see nothing unusual about it, but Tōka’s lips always twitch suspiciously.

She still spars, though she stopped taking missions at the start of winter. He got distracted watching her waddle - and it’s definitely waddling - yesterday and she got him in the gut with the butt of her naginata. Knocked him clean off his feet too.

All the junior shinobi have no idea what to do and seem to have settled on pretending that she’s not pregnant at all, though their eyes follow her stomach.

It’s almost as if she’s placed a genjutsu on half the village, just by being pregnant.

Best prank ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Izuna is right - he never does fall in love with Tōka.
> 
> They’re friends, good ones, and lovers, but they’re never romantically attracted to each other.
> 
> Also, a lot of the language around Tōka being huge comes directly from my own experiences of being pregnant and suddenly realising that _all my shirts are riding up and my tummy is constantly exposed and I now waddle like a penguin and oh my god I can't put my shoes on because my feet don't fit into them whaaaaaat_. (I did not go shopping for maternity clothing until I was forced to about halfway through my third trimester.)
> 
> Izuna still respects Tōka, he's just amazed at how her body's changing.
> 
> Which is, in my own opinion, fair.


	143. Lunar New Year, Spring - Seto (32)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, things progress as you expect.
> 
> (It’s always nice to be right.)

Seto is content.

All of their families are in their house, eating his food.

This winter has been good.

Reo-chan missed Niko-chan, but it was not as awful as last winter. His new friend, the youngest Yamanaka, was a good distraction, as was his ability to come to work with them.

He’d accompanied Izuna-sama to clan meetings, sitting at the table with the adults, awe in his eyes at the new privilege. It also had the unforeseen but positive benefit of shortening the meetings dramatically since everyone knew that Izuna-sama would rather pay attention to Reo-chan than them. Their points had all been made very succinctly after that.

Izuna-sama had also taken to bringing Reo-chan with him on his visits to people who needed help, or people who needed to be pacified. Reo-chan’s happiness is infectious, and people are often disarmed when they see Izuna-sama and their son together.

Still, much of the work of running the clan fell on Izuna-sama’s shoulders again this winter, but koibito and he took Reo-chan where they could, particularly since Reo cannot accompany Izuna-sama to his other workplace or the labs.

Reo-chan now has a small desk of his own in a corner of both their offices, as well as a futon for naps. They have both taken to inviting him to join them when they perform katas, and he often follows them, clumsily imitating their movements. He has shown no indications of ninjutsu as yet, but there is no cause for worry. It will either come or it won’t, and a solid grounding in self defence has never yet hurt a civilian.

Additionally, all the physical activity tires him, and he sleeps more deeply at night. It’s been a boon to them, and they have left him with Kikiyo for several hours a week as they have reaffirmed their own bonds with each other.

After having sex with Tōka-san, he’d been sure than Izuna-sama would meet her needs far better than he, and he’s glad to have been right. Koibito, secure in the affections of goshujin-sama, had been willing, and it’s been reassuring to all of them to see their friendship become closer without taking a romantic turn.

As far as any of them can tell, goshujin-sama and Tōka-san are a match sexually but not romantically. In fact, they’re quite similar to Mito-hime and Hashirama-sama and might have made a good marriage had goshujin-sama’s heart not already been claimed.

And so, he’s thankful that goshujin-sama is theirs.

To see goshujin-sama with Tōka-san and to see goshujin-sama with them… there can be no comparison.

He is theirs, and they are his.

As it should be.


	144. Omake - Spring Harvest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you get a new family member.
> 
> (And the family grows.)

Tōka: *panting* I feel like it’s going faster this time.

Izuna: *gripping her hand* You’re not the only one.

Hashirama: *hand low on Tōka’s belly* This seedling really wants to see the world!

Seto: *strained laugh* No patience.

Tōka: *rests her head on Hikaku’s shoulder* He’s not like you then.

Hikaku: *kisses the side of her head* More like you.

Tōka: So this is my fault then?

Hikaku: Never. Your gift.

Tōka: *grunting* Why do you always know… the right thing to… say… ah!

Hashirama: Okay, Tōka-nee, deep breaths now, please! I can see the seedling!

Tōka: I know, no pushing…

Hikaku: Just follow my breaths…

Tōka: I’m breathing, I’m breathing.

Izuna: *rubs her upper stomach soothingly* You’re doing great, Baby Maker.

Tōka: I know! It’s just…

Seto: We know. He’s ready to be born, but you’re not ready to let him go.

Tōka: It’s happening too fast!

Hashirama: Don’t worry Tōka-nee, he’s just fine, just a little more…

Tōka: *straining* Oh!

Baby: *wails*

Izuna: Hello, baby!

Hashirama: *just after* Welcome, seedling!

Tōka: *falls back against Hikaku, laughing weakly* And how long have you been planning that?

Izuna: *grinning* Months. I wasn’t going to let this one have awful first words.

Seto: *smirking* We’re all grateful he decided to keep it simple, and it wasn’t a speech.

Tōka: Hikaku? You okay?

Hikaku: *face buried in her hair* You’re a miracle.

Izuna: Oh, yome. Here, let me support Baby Maker. You go take the new one from Hashirama-sama.

Hikaku: *transfers Tōka carefully into Izuna’s arms* Thank you.

Hashirama: *places baby into Hikaku’s arms* Your son.

Hikaku: *stares at the baby, Sharingan spinning, strokes his cheek* You are Haruto, and so we name you. May you always fly free and return home to us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tōka’s labor went really fast this time. She had really strong and rapid contractions on the training field while she was doing a kata, and Hikaku picked her up and carried her into the healing hall. Genin who were standing around waiting for their turn on the field were sent for everyone, and Hashirama literally leapt out of his office window before using the shunshin to get to her. Everything was rushed, and everyone felt like panicking.
> 
> Rapid labour also carries risks, mostly to the mother - typically, an increased risk of tearing and bleeding.
> 
> Some of that happens to Tōka, but Hashirama will fix it.
> 
> Haruto (陽翔) means “good flight” and he was named well. Hikaku’s wish for him will come true - he will always love freedom and travel, but he’ll also love his clan and return home to them.
> 
> His birthday is 20 February, 1831.


	145. Hanami, Spring - Hikaku (27)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura trees.
> 
> (Are sometimes not that interesting.)

Hikaku is not looking at the sakura trees.

He’s looking at goshujin-sama feeding Haruto-chan.

He’d underestimated his response to the sight. To see his husband, breastfeeding their son… it stirs things in him that should not see the light of day.

At least, not in public.

He forces himself to look away.

In his arms, Tōka-san smirks at him. He makes a face at her.

It’s been almost a month and she’s not fully recovered. Unlike with Reo-chan, when she was field ready with impressive speed, her body has been taxed with this birth. It’s only because of his position as Jōnin Commander that he knows that she had internal bleeding, and her body has been slow to replenish itself. Shujin has been feeding her as much meat as she will tolerate, but it’s not enough to replace the blood she lost and she still gets tired easily.

She’s recovering though, and her stamina is coming back.

In the meantime, they are taking care of her as much as she will allow.

Which is not as much as he would like.

She is not ready to have sex with anyone, so they do not have to worry about her being physically vulnerable with strangers, but she also will not come to live with them, even temporarily, so that they may support her. Additionally, she’s taken a short leave of her position, and that means that he does not see her at work every day.

He finds that he misses her, so it’s often he who delivers her meals when she does not eat at their house.

He still sees her then, but it’s not the same.

He takes a deep breath of the scented air and releases it slowly, letting his frustration go with it.

All of the sakura trees are in bloom. The ume trees too, and the scent of their blossoms is heady in the air.

Shujin has taken Reo-chan into the trees, just as Senju-sama has taken Niko-chan. Hashirama-sama and Madara-sama have taken the twins to water walk on the lake instead.

In a surprising turn of events, it appears that Reo-chan has been using chakra for months and nobody realised it. It was only when he threw a tantrum and refused to leave the bath, wailing for Senju-sama and sticking himself to the ofuro with chakra, that they realised.

So now they all wait for Reo-chan to attach himself before they take to the trees or the roofs, kneading chakra and keeping their senses open so that they can tell when he gets tired and loses his grasp on them. With all the practise, his control is improving quickly and he will be ready for the Academy when it’s time.

Reo-chan waves at him from shujin’s back as they balance on one of the higher branches and he waves back.

He’s glad that they can take the time to train Reo-chan so gently.

Their son will not be trained to kill unless he wishes to. Their son will not be thrown into a war. Their son will not be targeted by child killers.

Tōka-san grips his wrist. He looks down into her face and finds hard eyes looking back. Her expression is ferociously protective.

She must have read his thoughts on his face.

“Reo-chan won’t turn out like us, Hikaku. We won’t let that happen.”

He nods and holds her closer.

He’s glad to have her support.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An ofuro (お風呂), is a Japanese bath. In this time period it would have been a short, steep-sided wooden bathtub, deeper than a western bathtub.
> 
> I'll quote from Wikipedia for the rest:
> 
> _Furo (or yubune (湯船) which specifically refers to the bath with water) are usually left filled with water overnight, and in some households the water is reused or recycled for washing clothes the next day. As in the West, it was the custom for more than one member of the family to use the same bath water and therefore, for the Japanese, it was important to be completely clean before entering the bath._


	146. Tanabata, Autumn - Izuna (26)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you feel something unexpected.
> 
> (It’s a surprise.)

Izuna is happy.

Haruto-chan, never small, has rapidly gained weight and is now a chubby ball of giggles. He hides his face behind the furoshiki and peeks out dramatically to provoke yet more delighted gurgles. Hikaku and Tōka are laughing at him as they finish off the last of Seto’s bento.

He doesn’t care. He’s happy to play the fool for the amusement of almost any baby of his acquaintance, much less their beloved son.

After this, he’ll leave Haruto-chan with Hikaku and escort Tōka home.

He’s glad that she’s mostly back to normal, but she still goes home for an afternoon nap. And it’s not always for sex with him either. She still tires easily.

She’d probably have recovered faster if she hadn’t been so insistent on returning to work so soon. She’d gone back to training the chūnin at the end of spring and taken an injury during a spar that she would usually have dodged with ease. Since she’d refused to recuperate at home, she’d installed herself in Hikaku’s office instead and taken over mission prep. Hikaku had been happy to have her help and she’d been relieved to be working in any capacity, saying that boredom was the bane of her existence.

There had been the side benefit that Hikaku had been able to leave earlier and convince her to come home and eat dinner with them fairly frequently.

The last time she gave birth, she stepped back from them, giving them space with Reo-chan. This time, they’ve made a deliberate attempt to keep her entwined in their lives, even as they’re busier than ever.

They’re not going to let what happened with Issei happen again.

“I cannot believe that he still thinks this is funny,” she says. “You must have done it a thousand times.”

“Several thousand.” Hikaku’s voice is amused. “Haruto-chan never gets sick of it, as long as it’s goshujin-sama who is doing it.”

He drapes the furoshiki over his head and pretends to be blind, waving his hands around and patting Haruto-chan as if feeling out his surroundings.

Ow! That was a bite!

He whips the furoshiki off his head and stares at their son.

Haruto-chan stares back, chewing contentedly on his finger.

He wiggles his finger experimentally, carefully feeling the gums for anything sharp, and he finds it. The start of a tooth.

In fact, it’s the start of two teeth.

His grin takes over his face.

Hikaku notices immediately. “What is it?”

He meets Hikaku’s eyes. “Teeth.”

Hikaku jumps up and comes over, kneeling down to peer into Haruto-chan’s face.

“Teeth!” Hikaku sounds amazed.

Tōka is laughing at both of them. “Yes, teeth. Everyone has them. It’s not like this is a surprise, he’s almost six months old.”

They both look at her with mock offence. “But this is our son.” Hikaku tries to explain. “It’s special.”

Tōka waves them off. “You guys are crazy about babies, I knew it already. Go back to marvelling at your kid’s first tooth, I’ll see myself home.”

Hikaku picks Haruto-chan up, cuddling him close. “No, Tōka-san, it’s time for Haruto-chan’s nap anyway. Goshujin-sama will go home with you. I know you both have plans.”

Tōka leers at him. “You could be part of those plans too, you know.”

Hikaku’s blush is faint but it’s there, even as he shakes his head. His voice is fond. “No, go home, have sex, nap. I’ll see you back here in a few hours to take a few of the genin through a lesson in genjutsu, and then you’re coming home with us for dinner.”

Tōka bows. “As the Jōnin Commander orders, we will do. Come along, Izuna. Hikaku says we must have sex.”

He eyes his husband. Really?

Hikaku rolls his eyes and makes a shooing motion with the hand that isn't holding Haruto-chan.

Well, those are not orders that he’s going to refuse.

But they’re going to be discussing this later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place the day before Tanabata, on 13 August 1831.
> 
> Haruto is 5 months and 24 days old.
> 
> If anyone is interested, their childcare schedule looks like this:
> 
> Haruto is still breastfeeding and so goes pretty much everywhere with Izuna except for naps. He takes his morning nap with Seto and his afternoon nap with Hikaku.
> 
> Izuna does clan business and paperwork in the mornings, drops Haruto off with Seto for morning nap time, visits T&I and the labs, goes back home, picks up a bento and Haruto, goes to Hikaku and Tōka for lunch, leaves Haruto with Hikaku for afternoon nap time, escorts Tōka home, either has sex with Tōka or goes back to T&I, and then goes to meet up with Hikaku and breastfeed Haruto again.
> 
> Seto and Tobirama take Reo, Niko, and the twins all morning, trading off the children as necessary to get stuff done, and then they bring a bento lunch to Kikiyo, Hashirama, and Madara. The five of them eat together, and then they leave the kids with Hashirama for the afternoon, and go off to meetings or the labs respectively.
> 
> Hashirama and Madara spend the afternoons with the kids.
> 
> Then Madara leaves in the late afternoon to go spend time with Tobirama and Hashirama brings all the kids home to Seto’s parents.


	147. Tanabata, Autumn - Seto (32)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you need to have a talk.
> 
> (And sex has to wait.)

Seto is looking up at the moon.

The children are all in bed and under Kikiyo’s supervision so they have nothing to worry about there.

It’s just them, under the light of the moon.

Izuna-sama and he have coaxed koibito into lying down so that they may both touch him. Izuna-sama is holding koibito’s hand and massaging it - it cramps after so much writing - and he is combing koibito’s hair. It’s grown out and koibito will soon ask him to cut it. Both Izuna-sama and he love it long, but none of them will allow anything to compromise koibito’s safety in the field.

He is their heart.

It is ironic that he is the only one who goes into the field anymore.

Unless there is a war, neither he nor Izuna-sama will ever step onto the battlefield again, but koibito is still available to take missions, even though he never does. The village needs him more as a Jōnin commander than as a field shinobi.

Seto is thankful for that.

The idea of koibito in danger makes his heart spasm with fear.

Izuna-sama touches his hand. He didn’t even realise that he’d stopped moving it. He starts again.

Koibito blinks up at him, Sharingan spinning slowly. “You were afraid.”

He nods. “I was. I was thinking about you taking missions. I always fear for you then.”

Koibito looks awkward, “I could…”

He places his fingers over koibito’s mouth to stop the words. “No, love. I would never ask for that. I simply love you too much not to fear your loss.”

How different his life would be if koibito had not chosen to pursue him. How much poorer.

He looks at Izuna-sama who smiles at him ruefully.

Their love caught them both. Fitting for such a hunter.

He bends down to kiss koibito on the forehead. “I love you.”

Izuna-sama kisses koibito’s wrist, making him shiver. “We love you.”

It’s time to step back, or they will be too entangled to have the discussion they must have.

“So, you find Tōka-san attractive.” He keeps his voice neutral.

Izuna-sama convulses with laughter, flopping over to rest his head on koibito’s chest. Even koibito is smiling up at him.

His puzzlement must show for koibito explains, “You asked a question like a statement again.”

“Tobi is infectious!” Izuna-sama chokes out between laughs. “We all already roll our eyes, now we’re starting to lose our question marks. What’s going to happen next? Are the children going to start treating everything like science?”

The thought is amusing and makes him smile. Tiny scientists who follow Senju-sama everywhere. But… “Please, don’t let them in the labs.”

Izuna-sama sobers. “Not until they’re older.”

They’re all in agreement on that.

“I do find Tōka-san attractive,” koibito brings them back to their original conversation, “but I am unsure of when it began. I love her -”

“We all love her,” Izuna-sama interjects.

“We do,” koibito acknowledges, “but I was not sexually attracted to her before.”

This, they all knew. It was the one reason why no one even thought that koibito might want to have sex with Tōka-san. In fact, he’d thought that koibito might only find men attractive.

It’s immaterial to the question though.

“Would you like to act on it?”

Koibito flushes. “Possibly. At some point. Not now. I’m too…”

He admires the blush. Ah, koibito is lovely.

“And I would want you both there.” Koibito confesses. “I don’t think Tōka-san would like something like that.”

Izuna-sama hums thoughtfully. “I don’t know. She used to have sex with a couple of female friends occasionally, so she’s not put off by having more than one person in bed with her.”

Now that is a surprise. He’d thought Tōka-san’s sexual impulses to be directed solely towards men.

Izuna-sama makes a face. “I don’t think she enjoyed herself much to be honest. I think she likes men better. She always looked kind of sad and frustrated when she talked about it.”

It is sad. To think that Tōka-san might have had sex with people she’s not very attracted to in order to meet her needs, is a depressing thought indeed.

Still, things are different for her now. Even if she does not have a true romantic partner, at least she has a sexual partner that she can trust and who provides her with the emotional connection that she needs, without demanding anything that she does not want to give.

It’s the best that they can do.

For now.

He cups koibito’s cheek, stroking his thumb over the cheekbone. “We do nothing until you are comfortable, koibito. All will be at your command.”

Koibito’s smile is both loving and mischievous. “Then I command you to make love to me. I want both of you tonight.”

Goshujin-sama turns his face into koibito’s chest and bites a nipple through the kimono, making koibito arch and moan. “That is something that I am always willing to do.” 

Seto strokes his hand down the long line of koibito’s neck, tracing his fingers over the collarbone, just so that he can feel the way koibito’s pulse speeds up.

He loves the way koibito responds to them. Their hunter, brought to bay by love.

He bends forward again and allows the long fall of his hair to become a curtain that separates them from the world.

“As you wish. Yome.”


	148. Tanabata, Autumn - Hikaku (27)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, your children are cheeky.
> 
> (It’s adorable.)

Hikaku is balancing Reo-chan on his shoulders.

Reo-chan has used chakra to anchor himself, but Hikaku holds on to the ankles of his son anyway. Next to him, Hashirama-sama is holding onto Niko-chan’s ankles as well while she stretches up to grab the bamboo branch she wants for her tanzaku.

Reo-chan looks like he’s considering a plan of action. “Hashira oji? Bamboo down?”

Oh, now that’s a clever approach.

Obligingly, the bamboo bends for just long enough for Reo-chan to tie his tanzaku on before it snaps upright again.

Niko-chan stamps her small foot on Hashirama-sama’s broad shoulder. “Cheating!”

The branch she wants leans down to tickle her cheek and she giggles, going from annoyed to happy in an instant as she ties her tanzaku on as well. She has the changeable moods of the water certainly. Senju-sama, Mito-hime, and Tōka-san all watch her carefully, even as her suiton affinity comes to the fore more and more.

Mito-hime with nostalgia, Tōka-san with wistfulness, and Senju-sama with love. There is something there that he does not understand, but he knows that it’s none of his business. He loves her, as he loves all the children under his care, and that is enough for him.

He does look forward to Kingyo-sukui at the festival tonight though. He’d like to know what she will do.

Reo-chan on the other hand, shows all the discretion of his father, never using chakra for anything except the most subtle of changes. And pranks.

Just this morning, between the two of them, Reo-chan and Niko-chan stuck a bowl of water to the railing of the engawa and then let it fall just as Senju-sama walked by, obviously aiming to splash him. Senju-sama had let the water soak his sleeve before extracting it into a ball which he then burst over Reo-chan who cried out with surprise. Niko-chan pouted until Senju-sama showed her how to coax water out of Reo-chan’s clothing. She hadn’t gotten everything, and she’d gotten wet as well when she lost control of her water ball, but it was very good for a first effort.

They still have no idea of Reo-chan’s affinity, and it’s making them all very curious. Still, all will be revealed in time.

Now that Reo-chan and Niko-chan are done, they both urgently want to get down, squirming and kicking. Hashirama-sama and he release them and they run to get the rest of the family to come and see their tanzaku. 

When they reappear, Madara-sama’s praise is gruff but sincere. They bloom under his attention. Goshujin-sama marvels that they were able to get so high, and they smile secretively without telling him anything.

Hikaku takes Haruto-chan from goshujin-sama and holds him up so that his tiny fingers can touch Reo-chan’s tanzaku.

Hidden by Haruto-chan’s small body, Hashirama-sama and he smile at each other too.

They’ll keep the children’s secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place on August 14, 1831. Niko and Reo are 2 years and 8 months old. They won’t start at the Academy this winter. They’ll start next winter.
> 
> Mito, Tōka, and Tobirama are watching Niko carefully because she’s showing the wild moods of an Uzumaki - she has the changeable moods of the ocean, not the steady current of a river. For Mito, it’s familiar. For Tōka, it’s what she could have had if she’d chosen to be an Uzumaki. For Tobirama, it’s even simpler - she’s his dolphin daughter and he loves her.


	149. Obon, Autumn - Seto (32)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, your children are trouble.
> 
> (It’s adorable.)

Seto is amused.

Tōka-san is bold this year. She has targeted Madara-sama and recounts how they caught him sleeping on Hashirama-sama’s shoulder after their last drinking contest.

All the Uchiha roar with laughter and toast their Clan Head. There is no shame in losing a drinking contest to Hashirama-sama, as the amount of alcohol the man can drink is inhuman.

Madara-sama roars back at the crowd, and Kana-chan, sitting on his shoulders, roars too. It’s terribly adorable.

Now the twins, Reo-chan, and Niko-chan, have formed a group with the youngest Yamanaka and are busily running around the festival, stealing food whenever it’s left alone for even a moment. Koibito’s nephew and niece are discussing something very intently with the youngest Nara, and he’s not sure if he wants to know what it is.

He restricts his attention to the younger group and is just in time to see them steal Hashirama-sama’s drink. Ah, now _that_ he will not allow.

He plucks the cup out of Niko-chan’s hand just as she is about to take a sip. “No, Niko-chan. You know that Hashirama-sama’s drinks are not for you.”

She pouts at him, but he remains unmoved.

He crouches down and strokes her hair. “You know that it is bad for you. But I see that your father’s yakitori is unattended. Perhaps that would be more to your taste?”

She giggles and grabs Reo-chan’s wrist. His son links hands with the Yamanaka, and the three of them run off to try and steal Madara-sama’s food.

They’re good children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kana is 2 years and 2 months old in this chapter.
> 
> Hikaku’s nice is seven and his nephew is ten in this chapter.
> 
> Yakitori only started to appear during the early part of the Meiji period, simply because Japanese people did not eat meat before that period for religious reasons. However, I’ve introduced it as a common finger food in shinobi culture, and it appears as early as 1817 in this AU. If you’d like to know why I’ve departed from real world Japanese culture on this topic, you can check out chapter 15 of _The World Building of Courting Culture Confusion_ ( _World Building - Why Hashirama is Always Hungry_ ), and chapter 75 ( _World Building - Meat in the Edo Period_ ).


	150. Almost Time for the Run, Autumn - Seto (32)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you get a surprise.
> 
> (Even people you know well can surprise you.)

Seto is content.

His fingers run through Izuna-sama’s hair even as koibito’s head rests on his shoulder.

Koibito left his hair loose after the bath tonight. It’s a sign that he’d like to have it combed and stroked.

He nudges Izuna-sama upright, and coaxes koibito to lie down in his lap in turn. His fingers return to their work, slowly drying koibito’s hair now. Izuna-sama reaches down to cup koibito’s face, rubbing a thumb over the cheekbone. “So, anything to ask?”

Koibito’s smile is shy. “I do have something, actually.”

“Oh? What a surprise. May I ask what it is?” Izuna-sama’s tone is teasing.

Koibito’s expression turns serious. “I would like to ask if I may kiss Tōka-san, goshujin-sama.”

They’d all known that this moment would come eventually, koibito does not hide his emotions well, but he’s surprised it has happened so soon.

Goshujin-sama leans down to kiss koibito’s lips lightly. “Of course you may, yome.”

Koibito follows goshinjin-sama’s mouth up, until they are sitting side by side. When they break apart, they’re both breathing heavily.

Yome turns to him, reaching out to touch the back of his hand. “And will you be there when I do so?”

He turns his hand over to grasp the fingers that he loves. “If you wish, yome.”

“Do you think she will allow me?” Yome’s voice is nervous.

Goshujin-sama and he exchange a look, and laugh.

“Of course she will,” goshujin-sama says.

He finishes the thought, “None can resist you, beloved.”


	151. About to Run, Autumn - Hikaku (28)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you have a question.
> 
> (The answer changes things.)

Hikaku is nervous. So nervous, in fact, that his palms are sweating.

This is Tōka-san, his friend and colleague, but it’s also the first woman that he’s ever been sexually attracted to. And, if this goes badly, it will affect a relationship that he values very much.

He does not think it will though. She has always been accepting of his behaviour, even when she does not approve of it.

The worst that can happen is that she will say no.

All he can do is ask, and accept her answer gracefully.

So he swallows his nerves, clears his throat and says, “Tōka-san, may I kiss you?”

Her head jerks up from the mission report that she is reading and she stares him full in the face. “What?”

Her astonishment is palpable.

He says it again. “Tōka-san, may I kiss you.”

She starts to grin. “Wow. The Jōnin Commander wants to kiss me. Isn’t this a breech of the rules?”

He steps back. He’d never thought about it like that, and he should have. He’s always thought of Tōka-san as his equal, better than he in a fight, and the idea that he has power over her never occured to him. But she’s right, he is the Jōnin Commander, and she is under his command.

He bows formally, “I apologise most sincerely, Senju-san, I will not trouble you further.”

He straightens up, only to find that she’s come around the desk to stand right in front of him. She takes him by the shoulders and presses her lips to his, a short, chaste kiss.

“Hey, it’s fine. I didn’t mean it like that. You know I just talk without thinking sometimes. I’m happy to kiss you.” Her voice is apologetic.

He shakes his head. “You were right. It was wrong of me to ask, to say anything at all.”

She raises an eyebrow at him. “This is one of your Uchiha customs right? The way you can’t ask your subordinates to do personal things in case it looks like you’re taking advantage of them.”

He nods. “It is. It’s one of the reasons the Run works the way it does.”

She looks amused, “Yeah, the Senju were always puzzled at how a night time training exercise regularly resulted in so many courtships afterwards. Did you know that some of us thought that it was a disguised, clan wide orgy?”

He’s aghast at the idea. His expression must show his shock.

She laughs in his face. “Yeah, somehow I couldn’t picture you involved in something like that. Your whole clan is prudish in general, but you so rarely even kiss in public that I can’t see you having sex in public. Good fantasy material though.”

“You… what?” His voice is weak and no one could blame him. Tōka-san is an assault team all on her own and he’s utterly at her mercy.

“You’re lovely, Hikaku. You know that, right? There’s lots of Senju sighing over you. And the mental image of you fucking Izuna is hot. Or him fucking you, that works too.”

His face feels like it’s on fire, he’s blushing so hard.

“Uh… I had no idea you thought about us like that, Tōka-san.”

“I do. I have.” She raises a hand and traces a finger down his cheek. He leans into it. “So I’ll gladly kiss you. And more if you like.”

His pause at the idea must have been too long for she starts to move away. He reaches out and wraps an arm around her waist, keeping her close, even as he lifts his other hand to press her palm against his face. “I’d like that. So much. But, would you be comfortable with having goshujin-sama and shujin there? For us all to be together?”

She gives him a sardonic look. “Hm, three of the most gorgeous guys I know in the same bed as me. Let me think about that some more, do I like that idea. Wait, I think I do! What a surprise. Who would have guessed.”

He bursts out laughing. Ah, he loves how sarcastic she is.

“It was a valid concern, Tōka-san!” He chokes it out between gasps of laughter.

“I trust you with my life. I’ve already had sex with two of you. Now, I want to complete the set. Besides, it’s weird that you were the first one to touch me intimately, and yet we’re the last ones to have sex.” She’s clearly amused.

“That was for medical purposes, Tōka-san!” he protests.

“Sure, but it still counts.” she asserts.

He disagrees but leaves it for now. “I can’t invite you home with me tonight, I have to supervise the Run. But, tomorrow night, come home with me. Have dinner with us. All of us. And then, after, join us in bed.”

Her smile is small but genuine. “I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hikaku was going to invite her over for dinner and kisses, where he’d have the rest of the triad around for moral support, but she beat him to the punch and kissed him in the office instead.
> 
> Just in case it isn’t clear, Hikaku does not work in Hokage tower. He has an office in the healers hall, which is just behind the main training field. That’s where he does paperwork and steps out to supervise training as necessary. There are other training fields all over the village, but this is where the genin and chūnin train. Academy students use the ones next to the Academy, and the Jōnin use the more specialised ones - including the Forest of Death. Despite being the Jōnin Commander, most of his actual training time is spent on the more junior ranks, though his paperwork is primarily generated by External Missions for the Jōnin. The paperwork for Internal Defence is basically a roster so that everyone knows who’s supposed to be patrolling where and a bunch of very boring reports saying that everything is fine, nobody is poking their noses into the territory claimed by the village at the moment.
> 
> If you want to know my rationale for the Training Ground number assigned to the Forest of Death, you can check out chapter 73 of _The World Building of Courting Culture Confusion_ , _World Building - Why is the Forest of Death Training Ground 44?_.


	152. During the Run, Autumn - Izuna (27)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you have something to say.
> 
> (It’s important.)

Izuna is early.

Honestly, he’d rather not have brought Haruto-chan along for this conversation, but he’s still breastfeeding so that wasn’t an option. At least Kikiyo has taken all the other children for the night. Tobi is getting them settled so that he can talk to Tōka alone.

He feels it as he crosses the seals that surround her home, and knows that they’ll have alerted her to his arrival. As expected, she steps out on to the engawa as he comes into sight.

“Come to warn me off your wife?” she calls out.

He doesn’t slow his headlong pace at all and crashes into her. She plants her feet solidly and takes his weight, even as he wraps his arms around her tightly. “Come to thank you for letting Hikaku kiss you, and offering him a relationship.”

Her arms close around him in turn, though she fumbles a little where Haruto is strapped to his back. “I couldn’t resist, he’s so…”

He smiles into her neck. “And that’s why. It never occured to any of us that you were his subordinate, and it should have. If you hadn’t offered, there would have been no way for him to ask.”

He can feel her chuckle vibrate through both their bodies. “You Uchiha and your fixation on hierarchy. _Madara-sama_ could have asked me and I wouldn’t have felt intimidated.”

That sends him into giggles. “Nii-san! Asking you! For sex!”

She’s laughing too. “Tobirama would check him for a genjutsu right away.”

He turns his face up and kisses her, a short sweet thing. “I love that you’re so strong. You don’t back down from anyone.”

She smirks down at him. “Except Tobirama.”

He sticks his tongue out at her. “That doesn’t count. Tobi can argue anyone into backing down, even if it’s only from exhaustion.”

Tobi climbs the engawa behind him. “Did I hear my name?”

Tōka releases him, but he leans down to rub his face between her breasts, just to make Tobi squirm.

Tobi groans, “Are you really going to have sex. If you are, I am going to go home.”

Tōka pushes him off. “Of course we’re not. We’re going to embarrass you instead.”

Tobi rolls his eyes. “How reassuring. A vast improvement.”

Izuna wraps his arm around his friend and leads them all into Tōka’s house. “Well, we could go back to having sex?”

Tobi grimaces. “No, thank you. I will take the embarrassment.”

They both laugh at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Izuna could propose having sex with Tōka in chapter 136 because, as they’re both Jōnin, they’re equivalently ranked. Izuna’s status as Clan Heir doesn’t count because she’s not in his clan - he can’t give her orders.
> 
> This chapter takes place on the night of the Run (September 21, 1831) and Haruto is 7 months old.


	153. Lunar New Year, Spring - Seto (33)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you are amused.
> 
> (By someone you love.)

Seto is amused.

He hasn’t seen koibito this nervous since they first began courting Izuna-sama.

He catches koibito’s wrist and uses his grip to draw koibito against him. “Shh. Be calm. She’s been to our house many times, there is no need to make a good impression.”

Koibito huffs a laugh into his hair. “I know. But this is the first time the family will come together since she began sleeping with us. I want it to be special.”

He kisses koibito’s neck. “It will be special because we are all together. It is special because we do not have to share her. It is special because she is special to us.”

The tense line of koibito’s spine softens under his hands, and he runs his palms up and down, stroking and soothing. He leans up to whisper in koibito’s ear, “After everyone is gone, I will take you to bed and make you scream my name. And then goshujin-sama will take his turn.” He relishes the shudder of arousal his words produce. He punctuates his statement with a bite to the earlobe. “If you are not too distracted, perhaps you will be able to bring Tōka-san to her peak while we do.”

“Shujin…” koibito’s voice is a moan.

Kikiyo comes into the room and rolls her eyes at them. “Planning your bedroom games already? Can we eat first?”

He smirks at his sister. “Who’s to say I’m not planning a meal?”

She laughs. “I recognise the look on your face, aniue, and it’s not hunger for food.”

He shrugs, unrepentant, but releases koibito, going to hug her instead. She brings his hand to touch her stomach and the babies kick against his palm. “They’re active tonight,” he comments.

She places her hands against her lower back and stretches. “They are. They quieted down this morning while I was visiting Senju-sama, and he checked on them. He said they were sleeping.”

It was a good idea to ask Hashirama-sama for assistance in making sure that there would be twins again, but carrying two children at once is a strain on Kikiyo’s body. Still, this one pregnancy will provide two heirs for her line and that was what Kikiyo wanted.

They’re all grateful to Senju-sama for providing Kikiyo with children.

This winter was a difficult one, with Senju-sama and Hashirama-sama both gone to Uzushio, and Madara-sama left alone to lead the village while also caring for the twins. The family helped of course, but Madara-sama still bore most of the burden. Added to the difficulty of being separated from his husband, Madara-sama seemed to have been in a permanent state of unhappiness, his mood only capable of being lightened by his daughters.

Now that Senju-sama has returned to the village, Madara-sama will, hopefully, regain his equilibrium.

Hashirama-sama is still away however, and they have yet to hear an answer as to why. Perhaps they will be told tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place on February 2, 1832. 
> 
> Hashirama retired in autumn, leaving Madara in sole charge of the village. Madara is now Nidaime and this is his first winter apart from Tobirama since they married.
> 
> The village was founded in the winter of 1821, and Hashirama retired in the autumn of 1831. He spent almost ten years as Hokage, and has given up the role with a glad heart. This is the start of his happy ending, and, if you want to know more about that, you can find more information in chapter 30 of _The World Building of Courting Culture Confusion_ , _World Building - Hashirama’s Happy Ending_.
> 
> Hashirama also did a fertilisation for Kikiyo just before he left for Uzushio with Tobirama and Niko. He helped her release two eggs when she ovulated so as to guarantee two babies. Kikiyo is pregnant with Tobirama’s sperm, and carrying fraternal twins who will be her heirs. She is 21 weeks pregnant.


	154. Lunar New Year, Spring - Izuna (27)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you have a question.
> 
> (That you’re waiting to hear an answer to.)

Izuna is interested, and he’s not the only one.

Hashirama-sama did not return with Tobi, and he’d like to know why.

As they all settle down around the irori, say “Itadakimasu!” and begin to eat, the unspoken question hangs heavily in the air. Tobi, as oblivious to social conventions as ever, eats with one hand while reaching out with his other hand to correct Niko’s grip on her chopsticks. So it’s nii-san who explains the situation.

“Hashirama was asked to stay by the Uzumaki to help fertilise several women. In addition, he’s keeping an eye on Namika-dono who is pregnant.”

Everyone looks at Tobi. Nii-san rolls his eyes. “Yes, it’s Tobirama’s baby.”

Everyone starts to smile, but it’s Niko-chan who jumps up, knocking over her bowl of rice in the process, and flings herself into Tobi’s lap. “Baby! New baby!”

The twins run to nii-san and climb all over him, taking up the chant as well. “Baby! Baby!”

Not to be out done, Reo-chan bangs his chopsticks on his hakozen and yells, “Baby!”

Then a new voice is added to the chorus. “Baby!”

Everyone turns to look at Haruto-chan who is standing, carefully balancing himself on Hikaku’s shoulder. “Baby!” he says again.

Izuna can’t help himself. He leans over and grabs Haruto-chan, dragging his son into his lap and tickling him. “Yes!” he says. “A new baby cousin for you!”

The children all cheer loudly, as do all the adults.

The food is completely forgotten in the excitement.

As it should be.

Their family is growing.

It’s something worth celebrating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place on February 2, 1832. Niko and Reo are 3 years old, the twins are 2 years and 8 months old, and Haruto is 11 months old. ‘Baby’ is Haruto’s first word.

**Author's Note:**

> On a completely different note, I set up a server on Discord to discuss this series and you can go poke me there: https://discord.gg/JWZckgxBwf
> 
> EDIT: I'm so sorry the link was broken! I changed it and hopefully this one works!
> 
> All the warnings for this series applies to any content that may be found on there and I swear. Just FYI.


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